Vendian Biota

Vendian Biota or fauna are a group of what may be very early forms of animal life.

These now extinct forms are generally flat, segmented, or frondlike with no visible organs other than holdfasts in some varieties. Many of these fossils are difficult to interpret, and trace fossils are common. They are probably entirely late precambrian although some possible Vendian forms have been identified in the Cambrian. Many believe that some or all of the Vendians are precursors to one or more modern phyla that arose in the Cambrian.

The Vendian biota are also collectively known as Ediacarian fauna.