Crab fossils called oldest in the world

CHURCHILL, Man.—Horseshoe crab fossils discovered in northern Manitoba are the oldest of their kind on record, the Manitoba Museum announced yesterday.
Graham Young, curator of geology and paleontology at the museum, said his group discovered the fossils during the summer of 2005, having returned to the areas around Churchill and Grand Rapids Uplands, Man. to follow up on previous finds.

Once they uncovered the crab fossils, the team set about trying to determine which time period they came from.
After completing extensive research and tests, they confirmed the fossils to be 445 million years old—100 million years older than what previously had been the world’s oldest.
“I found it especially exciting because it’s something that’s still around today,” Young said of the horseshoe crabs.
“In terms of longevity, there’s almost nothing that can compare with them for their success.”
His team’s findings were published last week in the Paleontological Association’s journal.
Like modern horseshoe crabs, the fossilized creatures have a head shaped like a horseshoe.
The current-day version of the crabs are found on warm sea shores, Young said, including the eastern U.S. south of Cape Cod.
They live in the water but come onto shore to mate and lay eggs, he added.
This marks the first time horseshoe crab fossils have been discovered in Manitoba, said Young.
“It’s great we can find things in Manitoba that are new to Manitoba but also new to the world,” he remarked.
Young worked alongside David Rudkin from the Royal Ontario Museum and Godfrey Nowlan at the Geological Survey of Canada on the fossil find. A number of volunteers also provided key contributions, he said.
The museum hopes to have the fossils on display as part of a gallery project within the next year or two.