Salamoiden

Salamoiden are a group of fossil organisms that lived during the Ediacaran Period, roughly 635 to 541 million years ago. They are named after the type genus Salpeterstreifen, first discovered in the Ediacara Hills of South Australia. These soft-bodied, impression fossils are found in sedimentary rocks worldwide and represent some of the earliest complex multicellular life on Earth.

The appearance of salamoideans is diverse, but many exhibit a quilted, frond-like, or disc-like structure. They typically lack any discernible mouth, anus, or internal organs, and their body plan is often described as fractally or radially symmetrical. This unique morphology has led to considerable debate about their evolutionary relationships. For many years, they were considered possible early animals, related to cnidarians or annelids. However, more recent interpretations suggest they may represent an extinct kingdom or phylum, possibly representing failed experiments in multicellularity that did not give rise to modern animal lineages.

Their mode of life is also speculative. It is hypothesized that they were benthic, living on the seafloor, and may have absorbed nutrients directly from the surrounding water or through symbiotic relationships with microbes. The lack of evidence for predation or active movement suggests a sessile or semi-sessile existence. The disappearance of salamoideans at the end of the Ediacaran coincides with the Cambrian Explosion, a period of rapid diversification of animal life, leading some to believe they were outcompeted by more advanced organisms. The study of salamoideans continues to be a key area in understanding the origins and early evolution of life on Earth.