The Cambrian Explosion

David Attenborough voice:

"Earth. 500 million years ago. Where once animal life was limited to single cells, in a geological eyeblink of 3-5 million years multitudes of strange and wonderful creatures have emerged.

We see here the first sea jellies, almost indistinguishable from their modern descendants. But stranger things await us. Attached to the silty sea floor, Helicocystis grow in colonies. Their bodies are ringed in spirals, from which they get their name.

A Trilobite has wandered far from the safety of the rocks where his camouflage protects him. Unfortunately for him, a young Anomalocaris has spotted him. In order to grow and attain her role as the apex predator of these waters, she must eat. A tasty Trilobite is just what she needs."

This museum-style diorama uses forced perspective and color desaturation to evoke the murky waters of the Cambrian era. It is best viewed from front and top, but side views are provided to give construction detail. All animals are to scale.