Apr 6, 2025, 12:03 PM IST

Is Dickinsonia the oldest animal?

Rishika Baranwal

A 558-million-year-old fossil has revealed Dickinsonia — Earth's oldest known animal from the ancient Ediacaran oceans.

Without a head or limbs, Dickinsonia looked nothing like modern animals and puzzled scientists for nearly 75 years.

Dickinsonia fossils were found in remote cliffs of northwestern Russia, remarkably well-preserved in sandstone.

Scientists discovered cholesterol molecules; a type of fat produced only by animals — in Dickinsonia's remains, confirming its identity.

Dickinsonia, which died over 500 million years ago, was part of the mysterious Ediacaran biota that puzzled scientists for decades.

With its oval, segmented body and lack of clear features like organs, Dickinsonia remained difficult to classify for decades.

Scientists retrieved the fossils by scaling 100-metre cliffs, hauling large sandstone blocks with immense effort.

For a long time, sponges and jellyfish were considered the earliest animals, but the fossil evidence was scarce or uncertain.

Recognising Dickinsonia as an animal marks a major breakthrough in understanding early animal evolution and ancient life on Earth.

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