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What is Sacabambaspis? ⬇ A marine organism that lived in the shallow seas of the Southern Hemisphere during the Ordovician period, with a body shape resembling a long, slender tadpole. In some reconstructions, it is depicted with a somewhat goofy... or rather, charming face like (◉▼◉), which led to the internet meme mentioned later. Its body length is estimated to be about 25 centimeters based on discovered fossils. The scientific name is derived from "Sacabamba," the name of the village in Bolivia where the species was first discovered, and the Greek word for "shield" (ἀσπίς, aspis), meaning "Shield of Sacabamba" (therefore, it is more appropriate to read it as "Sacabamba-aspis" rather than "Sacaban-baspis"). Additionally, the Greek word "aspis" is also a noun referring to the "asp," a type of cobra used by Cleopatra for suicide, so Sacabambaspis can also be translated as "Cobra of Sacabamba." It is characterized by eyes positioned on the front and a mouth immediately below them in a crescent shape with the arc facing downward. There are two nostrils between the eyes, and it is believed that the lower half of the mouth, covered in fine scales, moved flexibly. Oval-shaped armor made of bone covers the back and belly. The armor likely existed within the skin. It has a flatter body than its close relative Arandaspis, and fossil analysis has revealed that it possessed three tail fins. It is a type of group commonly known as ostracoderms, an extinct group belonging to the jawless fish (Agnatha). Currently living jawless fish include cyclostomes such as lampreys and hagfish, but Sacabambaspis is not considered to be very closely related to them. It had no jaws in its mouth, and like related species of the same period, it is thought to have fed by stirring up mud near the seabed or searching for organic matter and plankton floating in the water. Since the discovery in Bolivia, fossils have been found in Arabia, Oman, and central Australia. Since those locations were shallow seas at the time, it appears to have been a creature that lived along the coast. It is believed that this creature could not venture out into the open ocean. Note that although there is no direct relationship, about 100 million years later in the Devonian period, a group called placoderms appeared, which, like them, had the front half of their bodies covered in armor. *Source: pixiv Encyclopedia