Fossil 'cactus walking'

Chinese scientists say that fossils of an insect have been discovered that could be the intermediate stage of development of more ancient animals with today's arthropods. This fossil is scientifically known as Diania cactiformis, nicknamed 'walking cactus' because it resembles thorny plants, found in southwestern Yunnan province, China in 2006.

Diania cactiformis

According to Chinaview , paleontologists at Xi'an University in Shaanxi Province believe this fossil animal belongs to the lobopodia group. This creature is like a worm but has legs, now extinct. Dr. Liu Jianni, who led the study, said it was considered a link between lobopodia and today's arthropods. Scientists have long suspected that arthropods evolved from lobopodia but there was no evidence until ' walking cacti ' was found.

This 500-million-year-old fossil is about 6 cm long, like a thin, soft, deep body, but 10 pairs of joints are as hard as insects or crustaceans today. This finding shows that the genera of insects grow first, while other parts will develop a harder shell later on. Scientists are still searching with the hope of discovering more fossils of this extinct insect.