Page 78 - The Cambrian Evidence that Darwin Failed to Comprehend

The Cambrian Evidence That Darwin Failed to Comprehend

Walcott discovered the remains of certain soft-bodied organisms
that at first sight appeared very mysterious. He tried to identify
them and to understand why he had found them there, since accord-
ing to the state of knowledge at the time, no such fossils should have
been present. Realizing that his findings were extraordinarily im-
portant, Walcott immediately set to studying the exceedingly well
preserved specimens he had uncovered.
The oldest Cambrian strata contained animal fossils that dis-
played a magnificent variety and complexity, opening a window on-
to a period hundreds of millions of years in the past. Although these
fossils belonged to soft-bodied organisms, they were exceptionally
well preserved. The fossils enclosed between the very thin layers of
rock were like miniature X-rays, revealing details of even their soft
tissues. He found fossils belonging to various known groups, of ma-
rine creatures, most of them soft-bodied, including brachiopods,