Then he found a similar fossil with downward-tipped spines reminiscent of long, side-swept “emo” bangs. He nicknamed that specimen after the emotional alt-rock genre. On Wednesday, Dr. Sutton ...

Specifically, Sutton found Punk’s spikes to closely resemble classic punk hairstyles, and he thought Emo’s more ...

says Sutton, because the spike-laden fossils were reminiscent of hairstyles from the punk rock movement, but the names stuck, leading to the official suggestions of Punk ferox and Emo vorticaudum.

Dr. Sutton said the Emo fossil is preserved in a folded posture, suggesting that it moved like an inchworm, using its spines to grip and push forward. How Punk was able to move remains unclear to ...