Kootenichela

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Kootenichela deppi is an extinct arthropod from the Middle Cambrian of what is now Kootenay National Park, Canada. It was about 4 cm long with a long body made of at least 29 similar segments. Its head had large eyes on stalks and an antenna-like appendage, and its trunk carried claw-like, spiny front limbs. When first described in 2013 by David Legg, it was thought to be a megacheiran, the so-called “great appendage” arthropods, but later studies could not confirm this head arrangement or its megacheiran status. Some researchers suggest Kootenichela might be a mix of features from different arthropods, or that it is closely related to Pseudoiulia and Worthenella; together these are placed in the family Kootenichelidae. The name deppi honors actor Johnny Depp for his role as Edward Scissorhands, and the genus name nods to chela, Latin for claws. The exact relationships of Kootenichela remain uncertain.