名字来源

  于南极拍摄的照片，可能就是埃迪卡拉纪时南极陆地上的样子

埃迪卡拉动物群因为发现于南澳大利亚的埃迪卡拉山而得名。1946年，一位澳洲地质学家（Reg Sprigg）在古代的沙岩板中留意到一曾在这里发现显生宙以前的化石。研究这些化石的科学家（Martin Glaessner）认为这是珊瑚、水母和蠕虫的先驱。以下几十年，南澳大利亚还找到很多的隐生宙化石，其他各大洲也找到一些。这些化石都叫作埃迪卡拉动物。一开始，人们认为埃迪卡拉动物是寒武纪的动物，但经过仔细的观察，埃迪卡拉化石比寒武纪还久远，应属于埃迪卡拉纪。

本纪曾被一些人称为 震旦纪 （Sinian） 。震旦纪的名称来源于中国，“震旦”是中国的古称。由于古印度人称中国为Cinisthana，在佛经中被译为震旦，故名震旦纪时至今日，中国学者仍经常这么称呼，中国教科书上一直称此纪为震旦纪。俄国人又把埃迪卡拉纪称为 文德纪 ，他们在这一时期的地层中又发现了一些古线虫动物的化石。

埃迪卡拉生物群

 狄更逊水母为埃迪卡拉动物群中较著名的种类

埃迪卡拉生物群（ 英语： Ediacaran biota ）是1946年发现于澳大利亚南部埃迪卡拉（ 英语： Ediacara ）山地的末远古系庞德石英岩中的化石群，这类化石群已在世界30多个地点被发现。

特征

埃迪卡拉动物和今天的大多数动物不同，它们既没头、尾、四肢，又没嘴巴和消化器官，因此它们大概只能从水中摄取养份。大多的埃迪卡拉动物固着在海底，和植物十分相近，其他的则平躺在浅海处，等待营养顺水流而送上门来。埃迪卡拉动物化石出土越多，反而越没有规律。有几种化石比较像后来动物的先驱。

例子

加尼亚虫（学名： Charnia ）、斯瓦特虫（ Swartpuntia ）、狄更逊水母（ Dickinsonia ）、古线虫（ Paleolina ）、皱节虫（ Sabellidites ）等

虽然在埃迪卡拉纪出现了很多的生物，但在埃迪卡拉纪末期，埃迪卡拉动物分成两支，它们有的成功演化成更有活力，更具进攻性的动物，有的则走向灭亡。而它们的特征也永远消失于历史舞台上。

末期灭绝事件

参见

埃迪卡拉生物群

参考资料

书目

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