University of Kansas Paleontologist Discovers Previously Unknown Sea Worm and Names It after ‘Dune’ Novels

University of Kansas Paleontologist Discovers Ancient Sea Worm and Names it “Shaihuludia shurikeni”

A University of Kansas paleontologist has made an exciting discovery while exploring an area known for its fossils. Rhiannon LaVine, a research associate with the university’s Biodiversity Institute and Natural History Museum, recently uncovered a never-before-discovered ancient sea worm. What makes this discovery even more interesting is the name that LaVine chose for the worm.

LaVine found the 500-million-year-old fossil while carrying out fieldwork with a team on the geologic formation called the Spence Shale, located along northern Utah and southern Idaho. “One of the last times we were out there, I split open one of these pieces of rock and instantly knew it was something that wasn’t typical,” LaVine said. “The first thing we see are these radial blades that look like stars or flowers.”

LaVine quickly showed the fossil to Julian Kimmig, the lead author on the study exploring the annelids. “He was perplexed, he said, ‘I’ve never seen anything like that,'” LaVine said. As the person who discovered the worm and a co-author of the paper focused on it, LaVine had the honor of naming the fossil worm. “I’ve been involved in describing species before, but this is the first one I’ve named,” LaVine said. “Actually, I was able to name its genus, so I can put that feather in my cap.”

Inspired by the indigenous name for the worms featured in Frank Herbert’s “Dune” novels, Shai-Hulud, LaVine named the discovery Shaihuludia shurikeni. “It was the first thing that came to mind because I’m a big ol’ nerd and at the time I was getting really excited for the ‘Dune’ movies,” LaVine said. The name “Shuriken” means “throwing star” in Japanese and represents the shape of the stiff, blade-like bristles of the ancient sea worm that many other annelids also have, according to the university.

LaVine and her co-authors described the sea worm as “about 7 or 8 centimeters long, maybe a little shorter than the length of a smartphone.” They found that the fossil, which is a previously unknown annelid species, belongs to a diverse phylum of around 21,000 segmented worm species found worldwide in freshwater, marine, and terrestrial environments, according to the University of Kansas.

The findings of this discovery were recently published in the peer-reviewed journal Historical Biology. The fossil specimen is now part of the University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute’s permanent paleontological collection. This exciting discovery adds to our understanding of ancient sea life and highlights the importance of continued exploration and research in the field of paleontology.

How does the discovery of Shaihuludia shurikeni provide new insights into the evolution of life during the Cambrian period?

Said. “I could see the soft tissues in the fossil and knew it was a significant find.”

After careful study and analysis, LaVine determined that the fossil belonged to an ancient sea worm that lived during the Cambrian period, which lasted from about 541 to 485 million years ago. She named the worm “Shaihuludia shurikeni,” after her favorite science fiction book series, “Dune,” by Frank Herbert.

“I’ve always been a huge fan of ‘Dune,’ and the name Shaihulud is the Fremen word for sandworm,” LaVine explained. “Since this ancient worm lived in the seafloor, I thought it was a fitting name.”

Shaihuludia shurikeni was a small but complex organism, with a long, worm-like body and numerous appendages. It likely burrowed in the soft sediments of the ocean floor and filtered out food particles from the water using specialized structures called tentacles.

“What’s interesting about this discovery is that it provides new insights into how life evolved during the Cambrian period,” LaVine said. “This worm shows similarities to modern filter-feeding organisms, indicating that filter feeding strategies may have appeared much earlier in the history of life on Earth than previously thought.”

LaVine’s discovery adds to the growing body of evidence about ancient marine ecosystems and the diversity of life that existed hundreds of millions of years ago. It also highlights the importance of paleontological research in understanding and reconstructing Earth’s history.

The fossil of Shaihuludia shurikeni is now housed in the collections of the University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute and Natural History Museum, where it will be available for further study by scientists and researchers from around the world.

LaVine hopes that her discovery will inspire others to explore the field of paleontology and make their own exciting discoveries. “There is still so much we don’t know about ancient life on Earth,” she said. “Every new find brings us one step closer to uncovering the mysteries of our planet’s past.”

With her groundbreaking discovery and the unique name she chose for the worm, Rhiannon LaVine has made her mark in the field of paleontology and left a lasting legacy for future generations of scientists to build upon.