Ediacaran Resins Set B (Paleozoo)

The Ediacaran is the first geological period with widespread evidence of multicellular life. And those fossils are actually quite extraordinary, as many of them are of soft-bodied creatures that normally do not preserve easily in the fossil record. Most of the fossils are casts and molds in sandstones. One theory for this is that their preservation may have been assisted by rapid, early-stage precipitation of silica cements, aided by the high-silica concentration of the oceans before the appearance of prolific silica biomineralizers, such as sponges and diatoms. Such fossil organisms lack tyrannosaur teeth and all the bells and whistles of a stegosaur or ankylosaur, and as such are fairly rare in our hobby. Today we will be looking at one of two sets of Ediacaran Biota produced in 2023 by Paleozoo. The set I will be looking at, Set B, consists of four genera: Fractofusus, Parvancorina, Eoandromeda, and Spriggina. However, in preparation of this post, I decided to look back on the Dino Toy Forum under the Paleozoo – New for 2023 thread, and it appears Set B did not include Spriggina! Paleozoo may have thrown that in for free as an extra (it’s been nearly three years, I cannot remember). Anyway, I am including it herein.

I must admit, I misinterpreted the images on Paleozoo’s website when they were first announced. I knew they were generally monochromatic, but shadowing on the figures made me think they had some additional color or detail. It wasn’t until I received them did I realize that they were monochromatic and translucent. I normally don’t go for such figures, so I asked forum and blog member Saarlooswolfhound to custom paint them for me! So, while I showed their original appearance in the image above, the following images as I cover each genus will show the custom paint jobs. This is the first time I have ever had figures repainted, and I am glad I did! We had some discussions back and forth on color choices and such, but generally I gave her carte blanche to come up ideas. I think she did a great job!

Fractofusus

Fractofusus was first discovered in the late 1960s in what is now known as the Mistaken Point Ecological Reserve in Canada. It wasn’t formally described until 2007 when two species were described, F. misrai and F. andersoni, named after the first researchers to describe Ediacaran macrofossils in Newfoundland. Fractofusus is described as a ‘frondose rangeomorph’ and its bauplan shows glide reflection symmetry. While plantlike in appearance, it existed in waters too deep to have exhibited photosynthesis. Unlike morphologically-similar Charniodiscus and Arborea (both of which have been made into figures), which attached to a substrate via a stalk and holdfast, Fractofusus and its kin are believed to have lived flat on the ocean floor. It is believed Fractofusus reproduced by growing tendrils out from the parent body that terminated in sprouting offspring. The body length of today’s Paleozoo model is 15.0 cm, which puts it in scale 1:1 or 1:1.5 for a maximum-sized specimen.

Parvancorina

Parvancorina is also represented by two species, P. minchami from the Rawnslay Quartzite in South Australia, and P. sagitta from the Verkhovka formation on the Solza River in Russia. It is known for its arrowhead-like shape with a raised ridge running down the central axis of its symmetry. The relationship of Parvancorina is unknown, but has been associated with both the arthropod genus Skania and the mollusk-like bilaterans Temnoxa and Kimberella. Parvancorina was believed to have been actively motile on the sea floor, feeding on detritus in the floor substrate. Today’s Parvancorina measures 6.3 cm for a scale of 6.3:1-2.1:1.

Eoandromeda

Eoandromeda octobrachiata is an unusual fossil known from both Ediacaran-style fossilization in Australia and carbonaceous compressions from China. Those latter fossils are quite important. Eoandromeda was first thought to be a trace fossil or possibly an agglutinating foraminiferan, but the Chinese fossils, which have preserved organic matter, rule-out those possibilities. Eoandromeda superficially resembles some echinoderms, but there is a lack of physical evidence to know if was even an animal in the classic sense! Eoandromeda appears as a circular, spiral structure, with eight ‘arms’ spiraling from a central body. The arms, which are ridged, may spiral either clockwise or counterclockwise. Fossils of Eoandromeda measure 1-4 cm in diameter. Today’s Paleozoo model measures about 6.0 cm in diameter for a scale of 6:1-1.5:1.

Spriggina

First described as an annelid in 1958, Spriggina floundersi is an important fossil known only from Australia. It has also been classified as, or associated with, a rangeomorph-like frond, a variant of Charniodiscus, a proarticulatan, and a trilobite-like arthropod. Today it is placed in the family Sprigginidae of the clade Cephalozoa. Spriggina is an interesting animal as it combines a number of key evolutionary traits, including bilateral symmetry, defined ‘head’ and ‘tail’, motility, and possibly evidence of a mouth, alimentary canal, and light-sensitive organs. Some authorities believe however that Spriggina is not bilaterally symmetrical, but rather represents another example of glide reflection, much like Fractofusus (above). Measured along its midline, Paleozoo’s Spriggina measures about 9.0 cm, putting it at a scale of 3:1-1.8:1.

So there we have a brief overview of Paleozoo’s Ediacaran Resins Set B. The Ediacaran Resins Set A consisted of Spriggina, Dickinsonia, and Kimberella. The store link on Paleozoo’s website is not currently working, so I am not sure if either set is currently available. Remember, these are monochromatic and translucent. They are great candidates for repaint (especially since we have no idea what their actual color was). Either way, they are recommended for collectors of interesting taxa.