Kimberella quadrata was roughly oval-shaped and bilaterally symmetrical. Their fossils range from approximately 3 to 105 mm in length (Fedonkin and Waggoner 1997). They are classified under Vendozoa among other animals that lived before the Cambrian explosion (Fossil Museum). Kimberella was originally found in southern Australia in the Ediacara Hills. More recently, numerous specimens have been found in the Winter Coast of the White Sea of northern Russia. These fossils date back to approximately 555 million years ago (Palaeos). The classification of Kimberella has been a topic of debate since it was first discovered. Some argue that it should be classified as a mollusc because it is more complex than a flatworm and has certain features that resemble the shell and foot of a mollusc. Assuming this view is correct, Kimberella is important because it provides proof that diverse, triploblastic, metazoan animal lineages existed before the Cambrian (Fedonkin and Waggoner 1997).

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Fossil Museum. 2008. Unusual vendian protomollusc Kimberella. Accessed Jan. 25, 2010.

Clowes, C. 2002. The ediacaran - 2. www.Paleos.com. Accessed January 25, 2010.