Titanokorys
Titanokorys is a genus of extinct hurdiid radiodont (a grouping of primitive stem arthropods which lived during the early Paleozoic) that existed during the mid Cambrian. It is the largest member of its family from the Cambrian, with a body length of 50 cm (20 in) long, making it one of the largest animals of the time. It bears a resemblance to the related genus Cambroraster. Fossils of T. gainesi were first found within Marble Canyon in 2018. The fossils were not named until 2021 because they were assumed to be giant specimens of Cambroraster.
| Titanokorys Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
| The paratype specimen ROMIP 65168; an anterior sclerite | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | †Dinocaridida |
| Order: | †Radiodonta |
| Family: | †Hurdiidae |
| Genus: | †Titanokorys Caron & Moysiuk, 2021 |
| Species: | †T. gainesi |
| Binomial name | |
| †Titanokorys gainesi Caron & Moysiuk, 2021 | |
The creature was one of several genera of radiodonts known from the Burgess Shale, with some of the others being Cambroraster, Anomalocaris, Peytoia, and Hurdia. Titanokorys is distinguished from other Burgess Shale radiodonts because of its large anterior sclerite (head covering carapace) and a pair of spines on the anteroventral sides. Based on the shape of its appendages, Titanokorys is speculated to have used them to sift through the sand looking for prey. It is believed to have fed by using its anterior sclerite to scoop up organisms from the sea floor. Then it would use its frontal appendages (long grasping structures that all radiodonts possessed) to trap the prey item so it could start consuming it. Because of its size, Titanokorys was one of the dominant predators of the Burgess Shale and one of the largest animals in its ecosystem.