The specimen’s penis surprised scientists. It lived approximately 425 million years ago during the Silurian period. Mariela de Diego 24/08/2024 14:00 4 min
It is not common to find fossil remains that preserve their soft tissues. That’s why this case caught the attention of scientists. In 2003, paleontologists from the University of Leicester discovered an exceptionally well-preserved fossil in the rocks of Herefordshire Lagerstätte, England.
In the remains of lava and ashes from an ancient volcanic eruption, this specimen of crustacean from the Silurian period (in the Paleozoic era) appeared, who lived about 425 million years ago. The species is a distant relative of the crustaceans we know today.
The crustacean is a very distant relative of the crustaceans we know today.
Because the ash hardened under the animal’s body, both hard and soft tissues were saved of disintegration.
The creature, although small, had a surprising anatomical feature: a penis that tripled the total size of his body.
Because of this striking feature, Scientists named it Colymbosathon ecplecticoswhich in Greek means, precisely, exceptional swimmer with a large penis.
No wonder. On a human scale, It is equivalent to a man having a penis of 11 meters.
In addition, scientists calculated that The crustacean’s sperm was also extremely large. In fact, some ostracods, measuring just 1 millimetre, can produce sperm 10 mm long.
The finding was relevant because it indicates that internal fertilization –the union of eggs and sperm inside the female’s body- It was already consolidated in the SilurianInternal fertilization is a crucial evolutionary adaptation that provides several advantages, including better protection of developing embryos.
Reproductive strategies: advantages and disadvantages of prominent size
The disproportionate size of the reproductive organ in Colymbosathon ecplecticos It is due to a strong pressure of sexual selection, a phenomenon observable in other species where striking features aid competition for mates.
For example, in some modern animals, deer antlers or peacock plumage evolved to attract potential mates. In this context, a large penis might have offered a reproductive advantage by increasing the efficiency of internal fertilization.
However, despite their short-term reproductive advantage, researchers believe that This feature could have contributed to the extinction of the species..
Species with males that invest excessively in sexual characteristics tend to disappear more quickly. Adaptation to a changing environment becomes more difficult when Too many resources are allocated to sexual competition rather than survival.
The study of this crustacean not only provides a window into the remote past of marine life, but also reveals the crucial role of sexual selection in evolution of the organisms.
Although This particular species disappeared two million years ago.their legacy persists as evidence of the complex reproductive strategies that have influenced the history of life on Earth.
