Apex predator of the Cambrian likely sought soft over crunchy prey

Biomechanical studies on the arachnid-like front "legs" of an extinct apex predator show that the 2-foot (60 centimeter) marine animal Anomalocaris canadensis was likely much weaker than once assumed. One of the largest animals to live during the Cambrian, it was probably agile and fast, darting after soft prey in the open water rather than pursuing hard-shelled creatures on the ocean floor. The study is published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.