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Kimberella is a monospecific
bilaterian known only from rocks of the Ediacaran
period. The slug-like organism fed by scratching the microbial surface on which it dwelt in a manner similar to the molluscs, although its affinity with this group is contentious.
Specimens were first found in Australia's
mollusc. Although some paleontologists dispute its classification as a mollusc, it is generally accepted as being at least a bilaterian
.
The classification of Kimberella is important for scientific understanding of the Cambrian explosion: if it was a mollusc or at least a protostome, the protostome and deuterostome lineages must have diverged significantly before 555 million years ago. Even if it was a bilaterian but not a mollusc, its age would indicate that animals were diversifying well before the start of the Cambrian. (see more...)