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Quaestio is an early motile marine animal which lived 555 million years ago in the Upper Ediacaran. It is the first animal to bear the earliest evidence of left-right asymmetry.[1][2][3][4] The type species is Q. simpsonorum.
Discovery and name
editFossil material of Quaestio were discovered in Southern Australia in 2024, from the Ediacara Member at Nilpena Ediacara National Park.[5][6][7][3][4] At least four trace fossils were discovered as well, some a few centimeters behind the death-mask of the maker, and some without their maker present, showing that the animal was capable of movement, which direction it moved and its anterior and posterior regions.[7][8].
The generic name Quaestio is derived directly from the Latin word quaestio, meaning "question", in reference to the shape of the central ridge. The specific name simpsonorum is the Latinisation of the surname of Ant Simpson, in honor of their contributions to the research and conservation of Ediacaran fossil materials.[5]
Description
editQuaestio has a near smooth circular margin, broken by a V-shaped notch at the posterior end of the animal. In the center sits the main ridge, which forms a backwards question mark-like shape, with secondary ridges sitting between the main ridge and the outer margin. Quaestio can range in sizes of 3 cm to 8 cm in overall diameter, with the main ridge being 60% of the length of the body.[5]
References
edit- ^ https://www.newsweek.com/fossils-oldest-moving-animal-quaestio-simpsonorum-ediacaran-1969460
- ^ "Ancient 'sea Roomba' tells a 555-million-year-old story of our evolution". New Atlas. October 15, 2024.
- ^ a b Lazaro, Enrico de (October 17, 2024). "New Species of Complex Ediacaran Animal Discovered in Australia | Sci.News". Sci.News: Breaking Science News.
- ^ a b "Paleontologists May Have Uncovered One of Earth's Oldest Moving Animals in Australia's Outback". dailygalaxy.com. October 17, 2024.
- ^ a b c Evans, Scott D.; Hughes, Ian V.; Hughes, Emily B.; Dzaugis, Peter W.; Dzaugis, Matthew P.; Gehling, James G.; García‐Bellido, Diego C.; Droser, Mary L. (September 3, 2024). "A new motile animal with implications for the evolution of axial polarity from the Ediacaran of South Australia". Evolution & Development. doi:10.1111/ede.12491 – via CrossRef.
- ^ Evans, Scott D.; Hughes, Ian V.; Hughes, Emily B.; Dzaugis, Peter W.; Dzaugis, Matthew P.; Gehling, James G.; García-Bellido, Diego C.; Droser, Mary L. (September 3, 2024). "A new motile animal with implications for the evolution of axial polarity from the Ediacaran of South Australia". Evolution & Development: e12491. doi:10.1111/ede.12491. PMID 39228078 – via PubMed.
- ^ a b "One of Earth's earliest animals found in Australia". Earth.com.
- ^ Stone, Stephen (October 14, 2024). "Florida State University scientist discovers one of the earth's earliest animals in Australian outback". Florida State University News.
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