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Prehistoric Life

How long was Ottoia prolifica?

Ottoia prolifica had a body length of about 8 cm (3.15 in).

What is measured: Burgess Shale worm, body length

Ottoia prolifica (8 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), Ottoia prolifica (8 cm) and Smartphone (14.7 cm).

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How big is that, really?

  • About the same length as a credit card
  • About 54% of the height of a smartphone
  • About 3.3× the width of a large coin
  • As long as about 11 grains of rice end to end
  • About 21% of the height of a bowling pin

Learn

Facts about Ottoia prolifica

Ottoia was a burrowing priapulid worm from the Cambrian Burgess Shale, and fossils preserve its toothed throat in some specimens.

Source: Royal Ontario Museum — Ottoia prolifica; Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History — Burgess Shale fossils

Prehistoric Life

NameSizeCompared with Ottoia prolifica
Elrathia kingi2 cm (0.79 in)0.25×
Marrella splendens2.5 cm (0.98 in)0.31×
Eldredgeops rana5 cm (1.97 in)0.63×
Pikaia gracilens5 cm (1.97 in)0.63×
Titanomyrma giganteum5 cm (1.97 in)0.63×
Tribrachidium heraldicum5 cm (1.97 in)0.63×
Cooksonia pertoni6.5 cm (2.56 in)0.81×
Ottoia prolifica8 cm (3.15 in)this page
Olenoides serratus10 cm (3.94 in)1.3×
Dickinsonia costata14 cm (5.51 in)1.8×

Test your sense of scale

Which is bigger: Ottoia prolifica or Cooksonia pertoni?

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