Mieridduryn: an Ordovician opabiniid from Castle Bank

Opabinia is one of the most iconic Cambrian fossils from the Burgess Shale, but the wider group was limited to there, and a single Cambrian specimen from Utah. Our discovery of two specimens of opabiniids from the Castle Bank Biota, in the Middle Ordovician of Wales, was a bit of a suprise. The paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s4146... Described in 2022, Mieridduryn is either an opabiniid, or an evolutionary intermediate between opabiniids and radiodonts (and modern arthropods, for that matter). This video tells the story of how these fossils were found, identified and described, how we now interpret them, and what questions are left unanswered. It also tells you how to pronounce Mieridduryn correctly! Video on Castle Bank:    • Castle Bank: an introduction   Video on palaeoscolecids:    • Palaeoscolecidans: the hidden beauty of "a...   Presenter: Joe Botting Channel Membership: to support the channel for £3.99 per month, please investigate the 'join' button underneath the video. You can expect 2-3 extra videos per month, showing current research, related mainly to the Castle Bank Biota.