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bioRxiv · 10.1101/057372

Functional anatomy inspires recognition of Ediacaran Dickinsonia and similar fossils as Mollusca (Coleoidea) and precursors of Cambrian Nectocaridids and extant cuttlefish and squid

Bernard L Cohen
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Abstract

A functional interpretation of the problematic Ediacaran fossils Podolimurus and similar organisms such as Dickinsonia indicates that they are hitherto unrecognized members of Mollusca: Coleoidea and precursors of Cambrian Nectocaridids and of extant cuttlefish and squid. This interpretation enables a new understanding of their taphonomy and reveals how this has deceived previous attempts to understand them.

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Bernard L Cohen. 2016-06-07. Functional anatomy inspires recognition of Ediacaran Dickinsonia and similar fossils as Mollusca (Coleoidea) and precursors of Cambrian Nectocaridids and extant cuttlefish and squid. https://doi.org/10.1101/057372

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