Haootia
Haootia quadriformis is an extinct animal belonging to the Ediacaran biota. Estimated to be about 560 million years old, H. quadriformis is identified as a cnidarian polyp, and represents the earliest known evidence for muscle tissue in an animal. Discovered in 2008 from Newfoundland in eastern Canada, it was formally described in 2014. It is the first Ediacaran organism discovered to show fossils of muscle fibres. Structural examination of the muscles and morphology indicate that the animal is a cnidarian, though, which class H. quadriformis belongs to was undetermined until a 2024 study found it to be a staurozoan.
Discovery and name
The first fossil of Haootia was discovered from lower Fermeuse Formation of Newfoundland and Labrador|Back Cove], Bonavista Peninsula in Newfoundland. It was originally unearthed by Martin D. Brasier of the University of Oxford in 2008. However, the specimen was not allowed to be removed according to provincial law in Newfoundland, so that only a plaster cast was made. The cast is maintained in the collections of the Oxford [University Museum of Natural History]. The actual fossil specimen, or holotype, remains on the north shore of Back Cove, roughly north-northwest of Melrose town. A second, incomplete specimen was also discovered in the Trepassey Formation of Burnt Point, Bonavista Peninsula.The generic name Haootia is derived from the Beothuk word Haoot, meaning 'demon', to signify the striking appearance of the holotype. The specific name quadriformis is said to be derived from Latin quadri, meaning 'fourfold', and formis, for 'form', relating to the quadrilateral symmetry of the body. The proper word in classical Latin for 'fourfold' is actually quadruplex, while forma is the proper word in classical Latin for 'form'.