wattides

Wattides are a hypothesized family of marine invertebrates that may have existed during the Ediacaran period. The concept of wattides was introduced by paleontologist Martin Glaessner in 1984 to describe a group of enigmatic fossils that did not fit neatly into existing taxonomic classifications. These fossils, found in Precambrian rocks, exhibited a range of morphologies, often characterized by segmented or quilted surfaces.

Glaessner suggested that wattides represented a distinct phylum or class of organisms. Their exact nature and phylogenetic relationships remain uncertain, and the term "wattides" is not widely used in current paleontological literature. Many of the fossils originally attributed to wattides have since been reinterpreted as belonging to other Ediacaran biota, such as rangeomorphs, or as non-biological sedimentary structures.

The study of wattides, however, highlights the challenges in interpreting early life forms from the fossil record. The Ediacaran biota, which appeared before the Cambrian explosion, includes many bizarre and unique organisms whose evolutionary lineage is still debated. The term wattides, while perhaps outdated, represents an early attempt to make sense of this unusual group of Precambrian fossils and their place in the history of life. Further research and new fossil discoveries continue to refine our understanding of these ancient creatures.