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304 / Precambrian
Grypania
Grypania spiralis
Centimeter-wide ribbons curled into regular spirals among the earliest macroscopic fossils.
- Time range
- About 1.9–1.4 billion years ago
- Final stage
- Mesoproterozoic
- Geographic range
- Shallow microbial mats · North America and Asia
01 / DEFINITION & ECOLOGY
What was Grypania?
Grypania (Grypania spiralis) was an extinct organism known from About 1.9–1.4 billion years ago, with a range in Shallow microbial mats · North America and Asia.
Life and ecology
Grypania may have been a large photosynthetic filament or eukaryotic alga, though material spans a very long interval.
02 / DISAPPEARANCE
Why did Grypania disappear?
Later multicellular algae replaced this ancient ribbon morphology.
03 / EVIDENCE
How do scientists know about Grypania?
Carbonaceous ribbons with stable width and regular curvature support a biological interpretation.
04 / SOURCES & FURTHER READING
Check the source record
Use the scientific name to compare taxonomy, occurrence records and the fossil record. Database coverage and classifications may differ.
05 / REVISION HISTORY
How has this record changed?
- Verified authoritative entity sources and added three responsive reconstruction sizes.
- Initial bilingual species record published.
06 / CORRECTIONS & ADDITIONS