An ancient arachnid that was among the first predators to tread on land can now crawl again – at least on your computer screen (see video, above).
To create the reconstruction, Russell Garwood from the University of Manchester, UK, and his colleagues analysed pristinely preserved fossils from Scotland of the 410-million-year-old spider-like species, called a trigonotarbid. When viewed under a microscope, details like internal muscle structure were visible, allowing the team to calculate the range of movement of the limbs. The walking style was determined by comparing the leg structure with that of living arachnids.
An open source graphics program called Blender was used to recreate the animals' probable gait. "Scientists themselves can make these animations now, without needing the technical wizardry – and immense costs – of a Jurassic Park-style film", says co-author Jason Dunlop of the Museum of Natural History in Berlin, Germany.
The work is part of a special issue of the Journal of Paleontology, out today, dedicated to the 3D visualisation of fossils.
Journal reference: Journal of Paleontology, DOI: 10.1666/13-088
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