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Prehistoric Life

How long was Marrella splendens?

An adult Marrella splendens had a total length of about 2.5 cm (0.98 in).

What is measured: adult, total body length

Marrella splendens (2.5 cm) drawn to scale beside a large coin (2.4 cm) and a smartphone (14.7 cm)
Drawn to scale, from left to right: Large coin (2.4 cm), Marrella splendens (2.5 cm) and Smartphone (14.7 cm).

Compare

How big is that, really?

  • About the width of a large coin
  • About 3 would fit end to end along a credit card
  • As long as about 4 grains of rice end to end
  • About 5 would fit end to end along a smartphone
  • About 13× the width of a raindrop

Learn

Facts about Marrella splendens

Marrella was a small arthropod from the Burgess Shale, with two pairs of long, backward-pointing head spines.

Source: Royal Ontario Museum, Marrella splendens; Smithsonian Institution, Burgess Shale Fossils

Prehistoric Life

NameSizeCompared with Marrella splendens
Elrathia kingi2 cm (0.79 in)0.8×
Marrella splendens2.5 cm (0.98 in)this page
Eldredgeops rana5 cm (1.97 in)2×
Pikaia gracilens5 cm (1.97 in)2×
Titanomyrma giganteum5 cm (1.97 in)2×
Tribrachidium heraldicum5 cm (1.97 in)2×
Cooksonia pertoni6.5 cm (2.56 in)2.6×
Ottoia prolifica8 cm (3.15 in)3.2×
Olenoides serratus10 cm (3.94 in)4×
Dickinsonia costata14 cm (5.51 in)5.6×

Test your sense of scale

Which is bigger: Marrella splendens or Elrathia kingi?

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