National Museum of Natural Science

Ediacaran biota: In 1946, Australian paleontologist Reg Sprigg discovered a large number of marine invertebrate fossils in the strata of the Ediacara Hills in southern Australia, most of which were tube- and algae-shaped. This became known as the Ediacaran biota. These are currently the earliest discovered multicellular organisms that date back to the Precambrian (670-540 million years ago). From the discoveries of traces of wave erosion and algal rhizoids, it can be inferred that these organisms lived in a marine environment, confirming that the Ediacaran biota is a type of marine biota. This specimen is a Liaonanella planodisciformis fossil, which appears similar to today’s jellyfish.

Ediacaran fossils