Grypania is an early, tube-shaped fossil from the Proterozoic eon. The organism, with a size over one centimeter and consistent form, could have been a giant bacterium, a bacterial colony, or a eukaryotic alga.[2] The oldest probable Grypania fossils date to about 2100 million years ago (redated from the previous 1870 million)[2][3] and the youngest extended into the Ediacaran period.[4] This implies that the time range of this taxon extended for 1200 million years.
| Grypania Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Grypania spiralis fossil | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | |
| Genus: | Grypania Walter, Oehler & Oehler, 1976[1] |
| Type species | |
| Grypania spiralis Walter, Oehler & Oehler, 1976 | |
References
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Grypania.
- Grypania spiralis (scroll down) in "Major Events in the History of Life"
- Grypania spiralis photo gallery, specimens from Negaunee Iron Formation, Michigan