This ‘terror beast’ giant worm once dominated the Earth’s oceans, scientists say

Scientists say they have discovered evidence of "beast" worms that dominated the Earth's oceans more than 500 million years ago.

Fossil remains of the 30 centimetre-long creatures have been discovered in the sedimentary deposits at the Sirius Passet site in North Greenland.

The worms, called Timorebestia (meaning "terror beasts" in Latin), would have been close to the top of the food chain, says Dr Jakob Vinther from the University of Bristol - making them equivalent in importance to top carnivores in modern oceans, such as sharks and seals in the Cambrian period.