AstrobioVFT
AM1Img2Archaeo
A cross section through an Archaeocyathid at Ajax Mine. These early animals are thought to have been related to modern sponges, though scientists are still unsure of their exact relationships to modern groups. Archaeocyathids were vase- or bowl-shaped organisms that probably pumped water through their porous walls to get food. The Archaeocyathids only existed from the early to mid Cambrian, when they went extinct. Fossil locations like Ajax Mine represent some of the earliest examples of reefs formed by animals. The coin shown for scale is 2.5 centimeters in diameter.
AM1Img2Archaeo
A cross section through an Archaeocyathid at Ajax Mine. These early animals are thought to have been related to modern sponges, though scientists are still unsure of their exact relationships to modern groups. Archaeocyathids were vase- or bowl-shaped organisms that probably pumped water through their porous walls to get food. The Archaeocyathids only existed from the early to mid Cambrian, when they went extinct. Fossil locations like Ajax Mine represent some of the earliest examples of reefs formed by animals. The coin shown for scale is 2.5 centimeters in diameter.