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.