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 …

[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.

[Martin Budden]

Re: Two pairs of eyes?

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

[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.

[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....

[hplasm]

Re: Weird thought

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

[Destroy All Monsters]

Re: Weird thought

PRAWNS!

[Martin Budden]

Re: Weird thought

They probably tasted like chicken.

[richardcox13]

Re: Weird thought

> They probably tasted like chicken.

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

[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.

[oldcoder]

Re: Weird thought

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

It tastes like sand... :)

[Sweep]

Re: Weird thought

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

[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.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Weird thought

"what would extinct species taste like?"

extinct butter

[Mike Flugennock]

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.

[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

[Destroy All Monsters]

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?

[skeptical i]

So, not Lobstora?

Oh well.

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

[PassiveSmoking]

It wasn't a rock

It was a rock lobster!

.... sorry.

[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.

[Anonymous IV]

An international crack team of palaeontologists

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

[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.

[Destroy All Monsters]

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!