Kimberella

E226441

Kimberella is an extinct, soft-bodied marine organism from the late Precambrian Ediacaran period, often considered one of the earliest known animals with possible mollusc-like features.

All labels observed (3)

Label Occurrences
Kimberella canonical 2
Kimberella quadrata 1
Pambdelurion whittingtoni 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Ediacaran biota
extinct organism
fossil taxon
soft-bodied marine organism
associatedWith Ediacaran macrofossil assemblages
bodyPlan bilaterally symmetrical
oval-shaped body
describedBy Mikhail A. Fedonkin NERFINISHED
diet microbial mats
ecologicalRole benthic grazer
environment oxygenated seafloor settings
feedingTraceType scratch marks on microbial mats
firstDescribed 1969
fossilsFoundIn Ediacara Hills, South Australia
White Sea region, Russia
linked to: White Sea coast

Zimnie Gory, Russia
geologicalAge approximately 555 million years ago
late Ediacaran period
hasEvidence radial and scratch feeding traces around fossils
hasFeature distinct anterior-posterior axis
dorsal rigid or tough covering
frilled or ruffled margin
non-mineralized body
possible muscular foot-like structure
possible proboscis or feeding apparatus
soft-bodied
kingdom Animalia
livedDuring late Precambrian
livedIn shallow marine environments
locomotion muscular creeping suggested by traces
movement crawling on seafloor
namedAfter Kimberley region of Australia
linked to: Kimberley region
phylum incertae sedis
possibleAffinity Lophotrochozoa
early bilaterian animal
stem-group mollusc
preservationStyle negative epirelief impressions
positive hyporelief casts
reproduction unknown
scientificDebate mollusc affinity disputed
position in animal phylogeny uncertain
significance evidence for complex feeding in Ediacaran biota
important for understanding early evolution of mollusc-like organisms
one of the earliest putative bilaterian animals
size up to about 15 cm in length
softTissuePreservation impressions in sandstone or siltstone
temporalRange Ediacaran
linked to: Ediacaran Period
typeSpecies Kimberella quadrata
linked to: Kimberella

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (4)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Ediacaran biota includes Kimberella
Kimberella typeSpecies Kimberella quadrata
linked to: Kimberella
Sirius Passet fauna containsFossilTaxon Pambdelurion whittingtoni
linked to: Kimberella