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This creature’s spines make it one of the most interesting Shale Burgess fossils. There were tentacles in various parts of its body. It had spines on bulges on the dorsal side of its body. All these tentacles were joined by a narrow tube to the main gut, which extended right along the trunk.With its exceedingly complex structure, Hallucigenia is one of the best examples of how Cambrian life forms differ from those existing today.
The Hallucigenia specimens found in China led to new and even more interesting characteristics of this creature being discovered. The Chinese Hallucigenia fossils contained armored lobes. As can be seen in the illustration on the next page, Hallucigenia rather resembled a caterpillar with lobe-like appendages and isolated plates on its dorsal surface. Newly identified features confirm that the spines were used for defense. Underneath, it had seven pairs of legs, each ending in a claw.74
