Strange fleshy blob: scientists show what one of the oldest animals on Earth looks like

Scientists have shown what one of the oldest animals on Earth looks like. At first glance, it resembles a flattened round fleshy blob.

Traces of one of the earliest creatures were found in the depths of South Australia. According to the researchers, its complex design rivals all other fossils found before it, ScienceAlert writes.

Thanks to the cooperation between American scientists and paleontologists from the South Australian Museum, a prehistoric lump called Quaestio simpsonorum was found.

Researchers consider this creature to be an animal because of the features it has: several cells, the ability to move, and a special body shape.

Interestingly, the researchers found more than 12 fossils of these creatures with footprints – the prints of their plump bodies. Some of these prints have slightly offset contours, indicating that they were among the first animals to be able to move independently.

"One of the most interesting moments was when we turned the stone over and noticed a fossil footprint in the pattern of Quaestio – a clear sign that the organism was mobile, it could move," said Harvard University evolutionary biologist Ian Hughes.

According to the researchers, the find is slightly smaller than a human palm with a distinctive shape of the Quaestio question mark, which is why it was named so. It is this sign that distinguishes the left and right sides of the creature, a sign of bilateral symmetry.

"There are no other fossils from that time that demonstrate this type of body so clearly," said Florida State University geologist Scott Evans.

Asymmetry is a part of modern animals, including humans. Scientists suggest that Quaestio may have been the first to have this body shape.

"Studying the history of life through fossils tells us how animals evolved and what processes caused their extinction," said paleontologist Mary Droser, a leading researcher at Nilpena Ediacará National Park, where the fossil was discovered.

"Earth is the only planet where life has been found so far. Therefore, we need to go back to the past of our planet to understand how life developed here," Mary Droser emphasized.

Only verified information is available on the OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!