Auroralumina

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Auroralumina, meaning “dawn lights,” is an ancient animal from the late Ediacaran period. It belongs to the cnidarians, the group that includes jellyfish and corals, and has only one known species, Auroralumina attenboroughii. It lived about 560 million years ago in what is now Charnwood Forest, Leicestershire, England. The fossil shows a pair of forked tubes where the animal lived, the oldest such structure found. Auroralumina is the earliest known crown-group cnidarian and is considered the oldest animal predator, since cnidarians use stinging cells to catch prey. It was dated to about 560 million years ago using zircon crystals in the surrounding rock. The genus name honors the dawn of this animal lineage, and the species name honors David Attenborough. In its place on the family tree, scientists classify Auroralumina as an early (stem) member of the medusozoans, the group that leads to jellyfish and their relatives.