Bridging an evolutionary gap spanning dozens of millions of years.
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00:00This is what scientists say is the first worm species to have ever slithered around the
00:08earth.
00:09It was recently discovered in Arizona, an area that 220 million years ago, when the
00:13worm was still alive, was once covered in tropical forests and rivers.
00:17A more hospitable climate for a creature like that.
00:20And researchers are now saying that it's a much more significant find than just cataloging
00:24a new worm species.
00:25They say it could be a missing link in an evolutionary timeline.
00:28A big reason for this is that worms aren't prime candidates for fossilization, as they
00:32lack things like bones and shells that are ripe for calcification.
00:35So what evolutionary gap does this specimen bridge?
00:38Well, an 87 million year one, connecting worms with modern day amphibians.
00:43Ben Kligman, a doctoral student who was part of the fossil's discovery, says modern day
00:47worms are basically limbless amphibians.
00:49And somewhere around when this thing lived, and now, the two classes of species separated.
00:54In fact, the worm-like creature that impressed this fossil wasn't even a ground dweller like
00:58worms today.
00:59The ability to dig happened much later, meaning this creature likely lived in trees, much
01:02like modern amphibians.