3D fossil of new species of animals found in Spain

Palaeontologists have discovered a well-preserved tridimensional fossil of Cloudina carinata -- a new species of Cloudinam, in Spain.

London: Palaeontologists have discovered a
well-preserved tridimensional fossil of Cloudina carinata -- a
new species of Cloudinam, in Spain.

The fossils, recovered at El Membrillar in Badajoz, one
of the few archaeological sites in Europe, provide examples of
asexual reproduction of Cloudina carinata.

Cloudina are considered to be one of the first animals
that developed an external skeleton around 550 million years
ago.

In Spain, a fossil of Cloudina was first found in the
80s. It was a small fossil of tubular appearance.

The discovery of new species of Cloudina is important
"for understanding the early evolution of animals," said Ivan
Cortijo, lead researcher from the University of Extremadura.

Stating that "its importance for understanding the origin
of skeletons is indisputable," Cortijo adds: "Cloudina
carinata is characterised by its elaborate ornamentation and
complexity of the shells and tube that are formed when
inserted."

These fossils show evidence of asexual reproduction,
until now "only described in Chinese specimens of Cloudina",
and are "one of the oldest examples of reproduction in animals
in the fossil register," Cortijo said in the study that
describes various specimens of the new species.

"The specimens display exceptional preservation, they
appear preserved in three dimensions, and show their original
form and numerous details of the shells," Cortijo points out
in the study that appeared in Precambrian Research.

According to the research team, the study of fossils
from the Ediacaran period (between 630 and 540 million years
ago) and of other fossils from the early Cambrian (540 million
years ago) reveals the path followed by evolution at a crucial
moment in the history of life, when the first animals
appeared.

Despite the fact that its relation to other groups of
animals is uncertain, Cloudina has been compared to cnidaria
(medusas and corals) and annelida (polychaeta sea worms,
earthworms and leeches).

The first fossil of Cloudina were discovered in Namibia
in the `70s. Later they were discovered in Oman, southern
China and the south-east of the USA.

According to scientists, the fossil is indicative of the
terminal Ediacaran, which marks the end of the Proterozoic
eon, and gives way to the Phanerozoic, when the great
radiation of animals began.

PTI

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