back to article Dino-boffins discover ancient, TOOTHY-CLAWED, four-eyed MONSTER LOBSTER

Scientists have revealed a terrifying-sounding new species of lobster-like marine creature that pre-dates the first living dinosaur by 250 million years. The Yawunik kooetenayi is understood to have swam in Earth's waters some 508 million years ago. "Yawunik had evolved long frontal appendages that resemble the antennae of …

  1. Little Mouse

    Two pairs of eyes?

    One pair above the other, Abelard Snazz style , or all bunched up together like a cartoon spider?

    The world needs to know.

    1. Martin Budden Silver badge

      Re: Two pairs of eyes?

      From the abstract: "two small antero-median eyes in addition to lateral eyes".

  2. Zog_but_not_the_first

    Weird thought

    I found myself wondering what it would taste like. Come to think of it, what would extinct species taste like? I guess we'll never know.

    1. Mark 85

      Re: Weird thought

      They appear to be rather tiny.. maybe 10 cm - 12 cm from the photos in the article. I'm guessing they were the crayfish (crawdads) of that period. It would take a bunch to make a dinner. Yeah... we'll never know if they were better broiled and dipped in butter or boiled in some Cajun hot sauce....

      1. hplasm
        Unhappy

        Re: Weird thought

        I was hoping for something about 1 to 20m long...

        1. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge

          Re: Weird thought

          PRAWNS!

    2. Martin Budden Silver badge

      Re: Weird thought

      They probably tasted like chicken.

      1. richardcox13
        Coat

        Re: Weird thought

        > They probably tasted like chicken.

        Can't have done. Chicken (or any birds for that matter) had yet to evolve.

    3. VinceH

      Re: Weird thought

      "I found myself wondering what it would taste like. Come to think of it, what would extinct species taste like? I guess we'll never know."

      It would taste rotten - it's somewhere in the region of 250 million years past its 'best by' date.

    4. oldcoder

      Re: Weird thought

      Sure you know... though you may have forgotten...

      It tastes like sand... :)

    5. Sweep

      Re: Weird thought

      http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2725/prehistoric-its-whats-for-dinner

    6. mstreet

      Re: Weird thought

      Crichton never took into consideration human nature when he wrote Jurassic Park.

      I see a scenario that has scientists re-create extinct species, for the sole reason of serving those animals to the absurdly rich as far more realistic than a dinosaur theme park.

    7. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Weird thought

      "what would extinct species taste like?"

      extinct butter

    8. Mike Flugennock
      Coat

      Re: Weird thought

      I'll bet it'd taste great with drawn butter...

      ...but then, a socket wrench would probably taste great with drawn butter.

  3. harmjschoonhoven

    Pictures or it did not happen

    Boffins at work

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYrMxdTrQHw

    The artist impression of Yawunik kootenayi

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWfwinrGxJo

    1. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge
      Thumb Up

      Re: Pictures or it did not happen

      1) Hiking at da shale? Sure beats trying to discover the latest fuckup in the innards of Microsoft Exchange.

      2) 3D model of the animal? Darwin would approve.

      3) Unrelated but of the interest matching criterium is fuzzily valued at "high": Did Neurons Evolve Twice?

  4. skeptical i
    Devil

    So, not Lobstora?

    Oh well.

    http://divineofficial.com/post/112836586435/divine-is-raped-by-lobstora-john-waters-multiple

  5. PassiveSmoking
    Coat

    It wasn't a rock

    It was a rock lobster!

    .... sorry.

  6. Hollerith 1

    Is it just me or...

    ...is the idea of claws with teeth in them a widely-held horror moment? And to think I hiked Marble Canyon as a young'un without realising that monsters lurked.

  7. Anonymous IV

    An international crack team of palaeontologists

    This sounds even more unusual than a monster lobster - and much more difficult to visualise.

  8. Soups

    Not feeling the terror

    How is this supposed to be terrifying or monstrous? Size wasn't mentioned in the article. One metre long scorpions are terrifying, lobsters you could crush underfoot lack a certain drama no matter how many teeth it had on its claws.

    1. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge

      Re: Not feeling the terror

      Yesh, but there were no large mammals (or wives complaining about what's stuck on your shoes NOW) back THEN!

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