The Paleontology of North America

Other Arthropods from North America

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Euphoberiidae tracta
Euphoberiidae tracta
© 2005 The Virtual Fossil Museum

What are Other Arthropods? This group consists of the arthropods that are not members of the Chelicerates, Crustaceans, Trilobites, or Insects. Members of this group first appear in the Cambrian and are still present today. They include:

Velvet worms (Onychophora) and their extinct relatives from the Cambrian lack exoskeletons and are noted for their many thick, stubby legs and segmented heads. The millipedes and centipedes (Myriapods, meaning “10,000 legs”) have bodies with many segments and many legs. Some Cambrian fossils show similarities with arthropods, but their relationships are uncertain.

First known fossil occurrence: Cambrian.

Last known fossil occurrence: Quaternary. This group has living relatives.

Fossils through time:
Choose a time period to see what life was like:

Quaternary
Tertiary
Cretaceous
Jurassic
Triassic
Permian
Carboniferous
Devonian
Silurian
Ordovician
Cambrian
Precambrian