Ediacara biota

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

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Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/ediacara-biota

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How big is Ediacara biota?Osmtrophy, chemosymbiosis, or passive absorption; lack of clear digestive systems
2. What is the geological period?Ediacaran Period (approx. 635 to 541 million years ago)
3. What is the global distribution?Fossils found on all continents, indicating a cosmopolitan distribution
4. How do scientists learn about them?Scientists study fossil impressions found in sandstone and shale, which show the shapes of these ancient animals.
5. Why are they called the first big creatures?They were among the first large, complex, multicellular organisms on Earth, appearing before the big burst of animal life in the Cambrian Period.

Phanerozoic Eon: The current geologic eon, beginning about 541 million years ago, characterized by abundant animal life.
Bilateral Symmetry: An arrangement of body parts so that the left and right sides are mirror images.
Taxonomic Classification: The scientific process of naming, defining, and classifying groups of biological organisms.