The Ediacaran Period: Glimpses of the Earth's Earliest Animals

Explore the fascinating world of Earth's earliest animals in this 41-minute Royal Tyrrell Museum Speaker Series talk. Delve into the Ediacaran Period, examining geological timelines, the Precambrian era, and the Cambrian Explosion. Discover the contributions of Charles Darwin and Elkanah Billings to our understanding of ancient life. Investigate Ediacaran fossils, their preservation methods, and the Snowball Earth hypothesis. Analyze the diverse morphologies, environments, feeding habits, and reproduction of these early organisms. Journey to Newfoundland, Canada, to explore significant fossil sites. Examine the evolution of early life forms, including the Avalon and Namus fauna. Investigate new fossil discoveries, trace fossils, and their implications for the Tree of Life. Conclude with insights into the Mackenzie Mountains of Canada and a summary of what happened to these ancient creatures, including the intriguing Dendrogramax.

Introduction
Geologic Time
Precambrian
Cambrian Explosion
Charles Darwin
Elkanah Billings
Ediacaran Fossils
Snowball Earth
Fossils
What did they look like
Are they jellyfish
Are they plants
Are they extinct
Newfoundland Canada
How were they really preserved
Range in Morphs
Environment
Feeding
Surface Diversity
Growth and Reproduction
Early Evolution
Avalon
Namus
Water Depth
Time
New Fossils
The Tree of Life
Trace Fossils
Mackenzie Mount Mountains
Canada
Summary
What Happened
Dendrogramax
Conclusion
Credits