Paleodictyon

Paleodictyon nodosum

Paleodictyon nodosum

It’s not just any fossil but a demonstration of a very complex way of life. ”

Adolf Seilacher

Scientific Taxonomy & Character Information

Domain: Eukaryota

Kingdom: Animalia

Genius: Paleodictyon

Species: Paleodictyon nodosum

Descendant: ???

Named by: Adolf Seilacher

Year Published: 1977

Size: 1mm

Type: 

Title: 

Pantheon: 

Time Period: Eocene–Holocene (Ypresian–Meghalayan) - 56.0 MYA–present

Alignment: Friendly

Threat Level:

Diet: Planktivore

Elements: n/a

Inflicts: n/a

Weaknesses: all

Casualties: n/a

Based On: itself

Conservation Status: Data Deficient (DD) – IUCN Red List

Paleodictyon nodosum is a creature thought to produce a certain form of Paleodictyon burrow found around mid-ocean ridge systems in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.

Etymology

Coming soon

Physical Appearance

Paleodictyon nodosum appeared as a compact, regular pattern of small circular openings on the seafloor, each pattern interpreted as reflecting the activity of an individual organism. The pattern imaged comprises three equidistant sets of rows of black dots in the sediment, inferred to be holes at that time, that intersect at angles of 120°.


Each set of rows parallels two sides of the bounding equilateral triangle to produce an overall hexagonal outline encompassing a network of hexagonal cells. Thousands of the patterns, typically several per m2, were imaged in an area 3 km along the ridge axis (NE-SW) by 2 km across the axis (NW-SE) at water depths of 3200–3600 m.

Abilities

Paleodictyon nodosum may be a trap for food, a mechanism for farming, or a foraging path.

Ecology

Observations on Paleodictyon using Euler graph theory suggest that it cannot be an excavation trace fossil and that it must therefore be an imprint, body fossil, or be of abiotic origin. Although scientists have collected many of the burrows of Paleodictyon nodosum, they have never seen a live one. What a live specimen would look like is widely debated, with the debate being split into two main sides.

Behavior

Coming soon

Distribution and Habitat

The modern burrows were found around mid-ocean ridge systems in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Although scientists have collected many of the burrows of Paleodictyon nodosum, they have never seen a live one. These burrows were found in very similar conditions as the ones found along the Galapagos Rift. The biggest similarity between the habitats of all Paleodictyon nodosum is that they are all found along divergent plate boundaries at both active and extinct hydrothermal vents.


Tamed

Paleodictyon nodosum are not entity!

Lore

In the 1950s, Paleodictyon nodosum fossils were first discovered in Spanish cliffs. Since then, they have been found in Wales as well as other parts of Europe. They are typically discovered in Eocene flysch deposits. However, at higher strata (i.e., later in geological time), their burrows become much more regular and exact. The oldest fossils reveal far less consistently hexagonal tunnels.

Gallery

Foreign Languages

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Trivia