Aysheaia Information & Aysheaia Links at HealthHaven.com

Aysheaia; Fossil range: Mid Cambrian
	Reconstruction of Aysheaia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia;
Phylum:	Onychophora;
Genus:	Aysheaia;
Type species
	Aysheaia pedunculata; Walcott 1911
Species
	A. pedunculata (Walcott 1911; A. prolata (Robison, 1985);

Aysheaia was a genus of soft-bodied, caterpillar-shaped organisms average body length of 1–6 cm. The genus name commemorates a mountain peak named "Ashea" due north of the Waptia Glacier. They are known from fossils found in the middle Cambrian Burgess shale of British Columbia, and from the Wheeler Formation in Utah. Similar forms are known from the lower Cambrian Maotianshan shales of China. Aysheaia has ten body segments, each of which has a pair of spiked, annulated legs. The animal is segmented, and looks somewhat like a bloated caterpillar with a few spines added on — including six finger-like projections around the mouth and two grasping legs on the "head." Based on its association with sponge remains, it is believed that Aysheaia was a sponge grazer and may have protected itself from predators by seeking refuge within sponge colonies. Aysheaia probably used its claws to cling to the sponge.

Aysheaia pedunculata

Unlike many early Cambrian forms whose relationships are obscure and puzzling, Aysheaia is remarkably similar to a modern phylum, the Onychophora. Only 19 specimens of A. pedunculata are known. A. prolata is the species from the Wheeler Formation.

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