Review Article

Radiodonta: Unraveling the evolutionary mysteries of Cambrian marine apex predators

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  • State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics and Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Early Life and Environments, Department of Geology, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China

Received date: 2025-08-25

  Online published: 2025-01-06

Abstract

 Radiodonta, emblemized by the iconic Anomalocaris, represents a clade of rather primitive arthropods that thrived in the Cambrian period and served as top predators in the marine ecosystem of that time. They are crucial for understanding the origin and evolution of arthropods, as well as the early Earth's ecosystems. Here we provide a brief review regarding the research progress of radiodonts, including research history, evolutionary relationships, growth and ontogeny, biogeography, and macroevolutionary, as well as prospects for future research.

Cite this article

WU Yu, FU Dongjing, ZHANG Xingliang . Radiodonta: Unraveling the evolutionary mysteries of Cambrian marine apex predators[J]. Chinese Journal of Nature, 2025 , 47(2) : 116 -12 . DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.0253-9608.2024.06.011

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