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203 / Precambrian
Tribrachidium
Tribrachidium heraldicum
Three curving spiral arms created a body symmetry almost absent among living animals.
- Time range
- About 560–550 million years ago
- Final stage
- Late Ediacaran
- Geographic range
- Shallow marine microbial mats · Present-day Australia and Russia
01 / DEFINITION & ECOLOGY
What was Tribrachidium?
Tribrachidium (Tribrachidium heraldicum) was an extinct organism known from About 560–550 million years ago, with a range in Shallow marine microbial mats · Present-day Australia and Russia.
Life and ecology
Tribrachidium rested motionless on the seabed. Flow models indicate its grooves could direct water toward the center from several directions, helping collect suspended food.
02 / DISAPPEARANCE
Why did Tribrachidium disappear?
Burrowing, predation and changing seawater chemistry reorganized matground ecosystems, and this triradial design did not persist into the Cambrian.
03 / EVIDENCE
How do scientists know about Tribrachidium?
Many disc-shaped impressions preserve its threefold spiral; computational fluid experiments provide a testable suspension-feeding model.
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