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:
Unclassified
Title:
Mysterious Infauna
Pantheon:
Terran/Gaian
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.
Movement Pattern: Not a Migrant
Individual Type: Single Colony
Population Trend: Stable
Population: ???
Locomotion: Aquatic
Habitat: All
Earth: ???
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
Coming soon
Trivia
Paleodictyons are not considered real creatures; they can't be carved or die, and they are not described in the Bestiary.
Paleodictyon is sacrificed by the bursting of ocean floor during a mud-storm event.
Paledictyons are unharvestable.
Paleodictyon is an illusionistic animal, viewing the dots as hexagonal 'lines'.