- Thaumaptilon
"Thaumaptilon" is a fossil from the middle
Cambrian bearing striking resemblance to a biota that had almost disappeared at the start of the Cambrian, Ma|542. It was up to 20 cm long, and attached itself to the sea floor with aholdfast .Leaf-shaped, "Thaumaptilon" had a central axis extending to its tip, with many "ribs" radiating from it, in a similar manner to the ribs of a leaf. these may have had canals connecting them to the axis. One side of its surface was covered in spots, which might have been
zooid s."Thaumaptilon" is considered important due to its resemblance to some Ediacarans; it was believed to be a member of this biota. It was also originally believed to be a relative of the sea-pens, although this hypothesis is now discredited.cite journal
author = Antcliffe, Jonathan B.; Brasier, Martin D.
year = 2007
title = Charnia and sea pens are poles apart
journal = Journal of the Geological Society
volume = 164
issue = 1
pages = 49–51
doi = 10.1144/0016-76492006-080
url = http://jgs.geoscienceworld.org/cgi/content/abstract/164/1/49]The name "Thaumaptilon" derives from the Greek Thauma, "wonderful", + ptilion, "soft feather".
ee also
Ediacaran biota References
Thaumaptilon was described here: cite journal
author = Conway Morris, S.
year = 1993
title = Ediacaran-like fossils in Cambrian Burgess Shale-type faunas of North America
journal = Palaeontology
volume = 36
issue = 3
pages = 593–635
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