What characteristic feature allowed *Wiwaxia* to crawl across the soft Cambrian seabed sediments?
Answer
A soft, muscular foot or ventral surface, perhaps grooved.
Although the dorsal surface of *Wiwaxia* was heavily armored with sclerites and spines, the underside presented a stark contrast. Evidence indicates that *Wiwaxia* possessed a soft, muscular structure on its ventral side, possibly featuring grooves. This feature functioned as a foot, enabling the organism to move across the soft, fine sediments that constituted the Cambrian seafloor. This morphology supports its identification as a low-profile benthic organism that spent its life in direct contact with the substrate, contrasting sharply with the defensive structures on its back which were primarily for protection against predators.
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the evolution of wiwaxia
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