An Ancient Penis Worm With Rings of Sharp Teeth Has Been Discovered in the Grand Canyon

An Ancient Penis Worm With Rings of Sharp Teeth Has Been Discovered in the Grand Canyon

The 500-million-year-old fossil, containing a species named in honor of the krayt dragons in Star Wars, is a much larger ancestor of phallic marine worms that can be found on the seabed today.

500M-Year-Old Predatory Worm Fossil in Grand Canyon Named After Star Wars

In the depths of the Grand Canyon, a team of paleontologists has unearthed a fossil that transports us back 500 million years to the Cambrian period, revealing a creature both bizarre and illuminating. The discovery, detailed in a recent study published in Science Advances, centers on a priapulid worm—colloquially known as a “penis worm” due to its phallic shape—measuring about eight inches long and armed with rings of sharp teeth. This ancient …