Have a look at this bizarre little beauty. . .
http://www.cbc.ca/story/science/national/2006/03/08/crustacean-fur060308.html
Seeing is of course believing and in the case of fossil specimens at least
half way to believing ( depending upon the source of academic
interpretation ). The point. . . if a creature like this were unknown to
science ( as this one was until just recently ), but instead an ancient
counterpart were discovered in a fine grain sediment in which detail was
nicely preserved, how difficult would it be for the scientific community to
accept such an anomaly with unexpected hirsute covering? Some might
interpret or discount the evidence within the slab as an occurance of
dendrites, collagen, etc. . . but who would willingly accept or expect a
creature of the deep to be shrouded as is the "Yeti crab". Do discoveries
like these make it easier when considering ( cladistics aside for the
moment ) phenomena like proto-feathers on dinosaurs?