Research summary
Classification used here: Cambrian marine radiodont. Fossils assigned to Anomalocaris are known from Middle Cambrian (about 505 million years ago) and have been found in British Columbia, Canada. The museum uses 0.25–1 m (about 0.8–3 ft) as the reference body length and describes the diet as meat-eater. Anomalocaris was a radiodont from Cambrian seas. Rows of side flaps propelled it through the water, large eyes helped it find prey, and spiny frontal appendages grasped softer animals. Its underside mouth, frontal appendages and tail fan are also important identifying structures.
Fossil evidence and reconstruction limits
- More complete specimens are about 25 centimetres long; the possible one-metre maximum is inferred from isolated fossils.
- Functional studies better support pursuit and capture of softer prey than specialised crushing of hard trilobite shells.
- Body colour is not preserved directly, so the model’s orange-brown palette is an artistic reconstruction.
Scientific sources
Leon Made This compiled these research notes from public museum resources and scientific papers while preserving uncertainty in the reconstruction. Last reviewed 2026-09-01.
