The Vendian Period began about 650 billion years ago, and ended about 543 million years ago with the beginning of the Cambrian Period. The Vendian is when the earliest known animals evolved. These included soft-bodied multi cellular animals, like sponges and worms. During the Vendian, the continents had merged into a single supercontinent called Rodinia. In the 20th century, macroscopic fossils of soft-bodied animals, algae, and fossil bacteria have been found in rocks attributed to the Vendian Period in a few localities around the world. The Vendian is also known as the Ediacaran or as the Proterozoic.
Rock of Ages
Did you know that chalk is almost entirely made up of tiny shells? These shells once belonged to microscopic animals that floated on the ocean’s surface. They can form layers that over the ages become towering chalk cliffs!
