600 million year old "hard to define" creature appears intact

(NLDO) - The strange creature with a question mark on its back represents the first complex macroscopic animal class to appear on Earth at the end of the Late Cretaceous eon.

More than 10 specimens belonging to a previously unknown species have been found in Nilpena Ediacara National Park in South Australia.

They are named Quaestio simpsonorum, their place on the complex family tree of Earth's animals is still unclear and their strange body shape is a big question mark.

Close-up of strange fossil creature recently excavated in Australia - Photo: Evolution & Development

According to Sci-News, Quaestio simpsonorum was identified as a primitive animal from the Ediacaran period (635-538 million years ago), the last period of the Neoproterozoic era, the Cypriot eon, also known as the Precambrian period.

This was a mysterious and pivotal period in Earth's history, preceding the Cambrian biological explosion that helped shape the present world of life.

The newly excavated specimens have surprised people because of their size and complexity.

At about 8 cm in diameter, the mysterious disc-like creature was huge for a primitive animal some 600 million years ago.

Strange creature in Australia recreated in its ancient living space - Photo: Evolution & Development

Professor Mary Droser from the University of California (USA), co-author, said the most special thing about this fossil is that it is basically bilaterally symmetrical, although there is still an asymmetrical component that forms an upside-down question mark shape.

"This type of symmetry represents a certain level of genetic complexity. Humans are bilaterally symmetrical but have some asymmetries, such as the position of the heart and appendix," explains Professor Droser.

According to researchers, this may be one of the first organisms on the planet to organize its body in this special way.

According to co-author Professor Scott Evans from Florida State University (USA), evidence at the excavation site of Quaestio simpsonorum shows that they ate ancient organic mats while moving.

Finding a creature more than half a billion years old, preserved intact in its habitat, reflecting its life-like behavior, is an unparalleled treasure for paleontologists.

Research describing this special creature has just been published in the scientific journal Evolution & Development.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/sinh-vat-600-trieu-tuoi-kho-dinh-nghia-hien-hinh-nguyen-ven-196241019064024393.htm