The first animals that evolved on Earth were floating , jelly - like creatures , a recipe that has been good for life but not so much for studying it . What researchers know of this mysterious epoch , dating between 580 and 540 million years ago , comes from the impression that these brute leave alone on what afterward became sandstone . Now researchers are confident they have find two new species .
The first species has been calledObamus coronatus , honoring President Barack Obama and his living for science . The critter was between 0.5 and 2 centimeters across . It had raised coiling grooves on its surface and did not move . Researchers believe it cast anchor itself in the constituent matter that covered the ocean floor at the time . The discovery is reported in theAustralian Journal of Earth Sciences(AJES ) .
The 2d uncovering is dedicate to British naturalist and national gem , Sir David Attenborough . Attenborites janeaeis a tiny ovoid less than 1 cm across , with grooves and ridge . The squad described them as raisin - alike . More selective information will be published soon in AJES .
" The two genus that we identified are a new body plan , unlike anything else that has been described , " lead author Professor Mary Droser , from the University of California Riverside , said in astatement . " We have been find out grounds for these animal for quite a long prison term , but it took us a while to verify that they are animals within their own rights and not part of another animal . "
These Precambrian fauna are often referred to as Ediacara Biota , refer after the Ediacara Hills where they were come across . The Hill are part of the Flinders Ranges , the largest mountain range in South Australia , and the first location where these fossil have been found .
" I ’ve been working in this part for 30 year , and I ’ve never see such a beautifully preserved bed with so many gamey quality and rare specimen , including Obamus and Attenborites , " Droser say . " The AJES issue on the Flinders Ranges will substantiate South Australia ’s effort to obtain World Heritage Site status for this area , and this newfangled seam demonstrates the importance of protecting it . "
