The strange creature with a question mark on its back represents the first complex macroanimal group that appeared on Earth at the end of the Ediacaran period.
More than 10 specimens of a previously unknown species have been discovered at Nilpena Ediacara National Park in South Australia.
They have been named Quaestio simpsonorum, and their position on the complex evolutionary tree of Earth’s animals is still unclear. They exhibit a bizarre shape featuring a large question mark.
Close-up of the strange fossil recently unearthed in Australia – (Photo: Evolution & Development).
According to Sci-News, Quaestio simpsonorum has been identified as a primitive animal from the Ediacaran period (635-538 million years ago), the final period of the Neoproterozoic Era, also known as the pre-Cambrian period.
This is a crucial and mysterious phase in Earth’s history, occurring before the Cambrian biological explosion, which significantly shaped the current world of life.
The specimens recently unearthed have surprised researchers due to their size and complexity.
With a diameter of about 8 cm, this disc-like creature is quite large compared to the primitive animal life forms that existed around 600 million years ago.
The strange creature in Australia recreated in its ancient living environment – (Photo: Evolution & Development).
Professor Mary Droser from the University of California (USA), a co-author, stated that the most remarkable aspect of this fossil is its bilateral symmetry, despite possessing an asymmetric feature that forms an inverted question mark.
“This type of symmetry indicates a certain level of genetic complexity. Humans exhibit bilateral symmetry but have some points of asymmetry, such as the position of the heart and appendix,” Professor Droser explained.
According to researchers, this could be one of the first organisms on the planet to self-organize its body in such a distinctive way.
Professor Scott Evans from Florida State University (USA), also a co-author, noted that evidence from the excavation site of Quaestio simpsonorum suggests they fed on ancient organic mats as they moved.
The discovery of a creature over half a billion years old, preserved intact in its living environment, reflects behaviors from its life, making it a unique treasure for paleontologists.
The research describing this remarkable organism has just been published in the scientific journal Evolution & Development.
