Nimiana simplex, Ediacaran Fauna

Nimiana simplex, Ediacaran Fauna

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Nemiana simplex, is referred to as a vendozoan from the Precambrian Eon, Ediacaran (=Vendian) period, Podolsk Series, Nemiana River, Kamenez-Podolskiy, Ukraine.

Nemiana are extremely old enigmatic fossils of the Ediacaran fauna. Some believe they are jellyfish while others say sea anemone. This is a replica plate of Nemiana simplex that was found in Novodnestrovsky Quarry, Podolia, Ukraine. Nemiana is one of the simplest of all Vendia fossils, and is difficult to interpret. It seems to be an impression of a sac-like body. Similar impressions in later rocks and in modern sediments are attributed to sea anemones; unlike most sea anemones Nemiana has no tentacles, although occasionally central markings are found that could represent a mouth. All of these specimens display the classic Nemiana features; beautifully rounded with a puffed-up center. The detail of these fossils is quite striking, for a polyp! These distinct fossils are well showcased on a block of very fine-grained sandstone. This is a museum quality multiple example of this strange, enigmatic Precambrian organism.

The Vendian marks the first appearance of a group of large fossils collectively known as the "Vendian biota" or "Ediacara fauna." The question of what these fossils are is still not settled to everyone's satisfaction; at various times they have been considered algae, lichens, giant protozoans, or even a separate kingdom of life unrelated to anything living today. Some of these fossils are simple blobs that are hard to interpret and could represent almost anything. Some are most like cnidarians, worms, or soft-bodied relatives of the arthropods. Others are less easy to interpret and may belong to extinct phyla. But besides the fossils of soft bodies, Vendian rocks contain trace fossils, probably made by wormlike animals slithering over mud.
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