Fossil.net.com presented by EXTINCTIONS Inc.

This is an extremely rare pair of enigmatic fossils. It is a textbook Dickinsonia menneri and a screamin' rare Kimberella quadrata from the White Sea region of Russia. Dickinsonia is generally regarded as a member of the Vendazoa - a group of somewhat obscure animals that thrived just before most of the modern multicellular animal phyla appeared (Chengjiang, Burgess Shale, etc.). It is unclear if the Vendazoa are plants, animals, or something else entirely. It is thought by some possibly to be an annelid worm, or even a jellyfish, coral, sea anemone, an arthropod, a bacterium, a new phylum, or even a new kingdom. This specimen showcases the classic Dickinsonia features beautifully - ovoid with somewhat radial tubes emanating from a central ridge. The detail of this Dickinsonia is quite striking and simply amazing. Also preserved on the plate is a fine example of Kimberella quadrata (the fossil is MUCH better than the photo shows!). Kimberella is also extremely enigmatic in the fossil record. If that's not enough, there is also another strange organism preserved on the plate - we have no idea what it is! The distinct fossils are well displayed on the large, natural block of very fine-grained sandstone. This is a museum quality example of several bizarre, enigmatic Precambrian organisms from the classic Russian White Sea Vendian Zone.