# Wisconsin Fossil: Legs Evolved Underwater for Land

## Summary
Paleontologists discovered 35 exceptionally preserved fossils of Waukartus muscularis, an aquatic arthropod from 437 million years ago in Wisconsin's Silurian Brandon Bridge Formation. This stem-myriapod had a long segmented body, at least 11 leg sets, and unbranched uniramous limbs—traits typical of land arthropods like centipedes and millipedes. The find challenges prior views, showing these legs evolved underwater via exaptation, with exopods lost before terrestrialization, preserved in Waukesha Lagerstätte mudstones.

## Content
Waukartus Muscularis: Fossils Prove Centipede Legs Evolved in Ancient Seas


            
              
              
                Silurian fossil of Waukartus muscularis preserving soft tissues and many legs.  (Credit: www.kaboompics.com via Pexels)
              
            

Picture this: a creature scuttling across the Silurian seafloor, 437 million years ago, with a body packed full of legs. Not for dry land. For water. Paleontologists just unearthed fossils that flip the script on how centipedes and millipedes got their signature many-legged look. Meet Waukartus muscularis, a bizarre aquatic arthropod from Wisconsin that's rewriting evolutionary history.

These aren't your garden-variety


            
              
              
                Aquatic Waukartus muscularis navigating ancient shallow seas.  (Credit: Diego Concepción via Pexels)
              
            

References:

Royal Society B (on myriapod evolution)
Nature Ecology & Evolution (Silurian arthropod anatomy)
Science (fossil preservation in Waukesha Lagerstätte)
PNAS (comparative timelines of arthropod limbs)
USGS (diversity in ancient mudstones)
GBIF (modern myriapod species counts)
IUCN (centipede population trends)
Sources:Original Source

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Source: Kodawire (EN)