endothels

Endothels are a fictional clade of ancient marine invertebrates described in speculative paleontological and worldbuilding contexts. They are depicted as small to medium-sized, benthic animals that inhabited shallow shelf seas and left behind distinctive, well-preserved impressions in fine-grained sediments.

Morphology and anatomy commonly attributed to endothels include a robust, vase- or urn-shaped body with a smooth outer surface and a compact internal architecture. The body houses a central cavity connected to a ring of simple, radiating canals that extend toward a crown of tentacle-like structures. This arrangement is imagined to support a rudimentary circulation system and a passive feeding mode. The exterior integument is described as flexible yet durable, with a few surface projections that may have aided anchorage or sensory perception.

Ecology and behavior are typically portrayed as benthic and sessile as adults, with juveniles being more motile during dispersal stages. Endothels are imagined as suspension feeders, filtering microscopic particles from the water column with their tentacular crown. They would have occupied quiet, soft-bottom habitats, ranging from nearshore to lightly subtidal zones, often forming scattered colonies or small aggregates.

Taxonomy and discovery are presented in speculative terms: endothels form a distinct lineage within a provisional phylum Endothela, with a genus Endothela serving as the type taxon in many narratives. The name is usually linked to the internal body architecture described in the fictional framework, and the concept is used in worldbuilding and educational exercises to illustrate debates about early multicellular life and fossil preservation.

See also: fictional paleontology, worldbuilding taxa.