Healed Fang Wound Found on 520-Million-Year-Old Cambrian Predator

A newly examined fossil from the Cambrian period shows bite marks on the body of one of the era’s largest predators, suggesting that cannibalism may have played a role in early marine ecosystems. The specimen, recovered from the Chengjiang Lagerstätte in Yunnan, China, is a well‑preserved individual of the anomalocaridid *Anomalocaris*, a top predator that roamed the seas 520 million years ago.

High‑resolution imaging of the fossil reveals distinct, irregular indentations on the exoskeletal plates that match the size and shape of *Anomalocaris*’s own feeding appendages. Paleontologists interpret these marks as evidence that the predator was attacked by a conspecific or a similarly sized organism. The finding, published in the journal *Nature Ecology & Evolution*, indicates that even early complex animals engaged in aggressive interactions that included cannibalistic behavior, adding nuance to our understanding of Cambrian trophic dynamics.

This discovery underscores the complexity of Cambrian food webs and suggests that cannibalism may have been a significant factor in regulating population sizes and resource distribution among early predators. It also highlights the value of exceptional fossil preservation in revealing subtle behavioral patterns from the distant past.