550-Million-Year-Old Animal Built Reef Discovered in Namibia

An ancient reef built by the first shelled animals, the cloudina, was discovered by researchers on dry land in Namibia.

This 550-million-year-old reef was built by coral like creatures called cloudina, the tiny filter-feeding creatures that lived on seabeds during the Ediacaran Period. It was discovered by researchers from the  University of Edinburgh. Cloudina were the first animals in the world to develop hard shells.

These reefs were built by cloudinas for protection. They formed rigid structures by attaching themselves to a fixed surface and then fixing on each other. They produced calcium carbonate that acted as natural cement to form the strong structure. heir fossilised remains are the oldest reefs of their type in the world.

This finding supports previous research that ties environmental pressure to the development of new features and behavior by species in order to survive. The fossil shows that the tiny aquatic creatures developed the ability to construct a hard protective coat and construct reefs to seek shelter and protection from the big hungry predators. Also amidst the growing completion for food and living space, the reefs gave access to nutrient-rich currents.

It was the development of these hard outer coverings, by biomineralization, that gave rise to the biodiversity in the marine ecosystem, according to scientists.

The finding was documented in the journal Science.