Hallucigenia

Hallucigenia wears its name well; it’s a floppy hallucination and a complete blast from the past. From Latin word means "wandering mind".

Hallucigenia are tubular animals that range in length from 0.5 to 5.5 cm (3⁄16–2+3⁄16 in) and have up to 10 pairs of slender legs, or lobopods. While the subsequent seven or eight pairs of legs each finish with one or two claws, the first two or three pairs are slender and featureless. Seven pairs of stiff conical sclerites (spines) that correspond to the third through ninth leg pairs are located above the trunk area. Hallucigenia sparsa has no features, while Hallucigenia fortis and Hallucigenia hongmeia have heteronomous annulations that split the stem. It is challenging to distinguish between the animal's "head" and "tail" ends because one of them protrudes somewhat past the legs and frequently sags downward as though it is trying to reach the substrate. Traces of a simple gut can be seen in certain species.

The longer end is a head with an anteroventral mouth and at least a pair of simple eyes, according to research conducted in the middle of the decade. The heads of different species have different shapes; those of Hallucigenia sparsa are elongated, those of Hallucigenia fortis are spherical, and those of Hallucigenia hongmeia are unknown. The head has pharyngeal and radial teeth in the front of the gut, at least in Hallucigenia sparsa.

One to four nested pieces make up the spines of hallucinia. While the spine surface of Hallucigenia hongmeia has a net-like structure of small circular apertures that may be the remains of Papillae, the spine surface of Hallucigenia sparsa is covered with an adornment of tiny triangular "scales."

Hallucigenia may be used to explain how evolution works, manage algae, and indicate the health of the ecosystem.

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This is a harmless species that has no desire to hurt anything.

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The Burgess Shale in southeast British Columbia, Canada, is where Hallucigenia were initially reported. Hallucigenia make up 0.3% of the Greater Phyllopod bed, where 109 specimens are known to exist. Chinese lagerstätten also contain a small amount of hallucinogenic material. However, isolated hallucigeniid spines are found in many Cambrian layers, where they have been preserved as mineralized and carbonaceous fossils.

• Movement Pattern: Random

• Individual Type: Solo

• Population Trend: Stable

• Population: ???

• Locomotion: Amphibious

• Habitat: Warm Littoral; Cold Littoral; Warm Intertidal; Cold Intertidal; Kelp Forest; Coral Reef; Barrier Reef; Guyot; Neritic Zone (Warm); Neritic Zone (Cold); Pelagic Zone (Warm); Pelagic Zone (Cold); Benthic Zone; Abyssal Zone; Hadal Zone.

• Earth: 

  • Extinct: China; Canada

• Reinachos: 

  • Extant & Introduced (Resident): ugh

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2021 Renders

Coming soon

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• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallucigenia

• https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/scientists-finally-decide-which-bit-of-this-weird-animal-is-the-head

• https://www.deviantart.com/ognimdo2002/art/Hallucigenia-sparsa-897215437