In 1977, British palaeontologist Simon Conway-Morris discovered the fossil of a truly weird animal, which he named Hallucigenia because of its “bizarre and dream-like quality”. He wasn’t ...

The remains of an ancient worm species called ‘Hallucigenia' were so bizarre looking that scientists originally reconstructed it upside down and back to front. Now Martin Smith reveals the most ...

Meet Hallucigenia, a spiky worm from over half a billion years ago that defied the rules of nature and forced us to rethink the story of life on Earth. Its discovery shook the scientific world ...

Hallucigenia, 0.4 to 2.2 inches long (10-55 mm), possessed seven pairs of nail-like spines protruding from its back, with an equal number of pairs of long, flimsy legs underneath tipped with claws.

An animation visualizing how Hallucigenia, a worm with legs and spikes that lived during the so-called Cambrian Explosion 500 million years ago, may have walked.

The next chart shows interpretations of Hallucigenia through time. Back in 1911, it was assumed that the spines were lateral. Next they were ventral, then in 1991 – and forward – they were dorsal.

Colour reconstruction of Hallucigenia sparsa, a very weird, very ancient animal. (Danielle Dufault) Hallucigenia is aptly named: With long spines down its back, seven pairs of clawed legs, and six ...

If Salvadore Dali were God, he would surely have designed an animal that looked like Hallucigenia. It has been described as the most surreal creature that lived in the strangest period in the ...

Scientists have discovered what could be one of the weirdest beasts that ever lived on Earth. The Hallucigenia looks like it wouldn't be out of place in a sci-fi movie. The bizarre creature has ...

Hallucigenia, which owes its name to its unworldly appearance, was so odd that scientists initially confused its top from its bottom and its head from its tail. However, a study has now ...