Agnostus

/ægˈnoʊstəs/ noun

Definition

An extinct genus of small marine arthropods from the Paleozoic Era, characterized by a smooth, rounded body and minimal segmentation.

Etymology

Named with Greek agnostos (unknown) because early paleontologists didn't recognize its relationship to other arthropods; literally 'the unknown creature.'

Kelly Says

Agnostus is hilariously named—scientists literally called it 'the unknown' because they had no idea what it was, and 500 million years later we still don't entirely understand its classification!

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