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Ausia is a curious Ediacaran period fossil that basically consists of a hollow cylinder tapering to a cone on one end. The surface is covered with circular rows of depressions("windows") that taper into ovals toward the conical point. Ausia fenestrata, named for the town of Aus in Namibia, is the only known Vendian animal with pores. Still, there is some question as to whether these pores completely penetrate the animal's wall. A typical organism is 5 cm long. It may be a primitive sponge. However there are no signs of spicules as would normally be found in a sponge. Another interpretation is that Ausia is a pennatulacean from the Veretillidae family.
Ausia has been found in the Nama formation in Namibia. It was named by Hahn and Pfug in 1985.
[edit] References
- Polypenartige Organismen aus dem Jung-Prakambrium (Nama-Gruppe) von Namibia. Geol Palaeontol 19 : 4
