Kimberella
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Kimberella quadrata is a fossil animal from the Ediacaran or Vendian fauna.
This fossil varies from 3mm to 10 cm in size. It is oval in shape with larger ones being elongated more. The long axis has a raised ridge, and the edge is crenulated or scalloped with 44 lobes, though some always appear missing.
The organism this fossil represents is believed to be a bilaterian organism, with bilateral symmetry. As such it is the earliest known bilaterian animal. It may represent the ancestor of all bilaterian animals, including humans, or may be a lophotrochozoan ancestor. It has been interpreted as a mollusk with a non mineralised shell.
Kimberella may have left trace fossils consisting of long trails that have been found in the Ediacaran strata.
This species was first described by Glaessner and Daily in 1959. Its fossils are found both in the Ediacara Hills of South Australia and in the White Sea region of Russia.