Auroralumina

Auroralumina (from Latin aurōra "dawn", lūmina "lights") is a genus of cnidarian from the Ediacaran of Charnwood Forest, comprising the single species Auroralumina attenboroughii.

[2] Auroralumina has been described as the earliest known animal predator: since its structure places it among the Cnidaria, which have stinging cells (cnidocytes) on their tentacles, it is presumed that they used these to catch small planktonic animals.

The fossil consists of a pair of bifurcating tubes in which the animals lived, the earliest such structure to be recorded.

It has been dated to 560 million years ago using zircon crystals in the rock.

The only species in the genus, A. attenboroughii, is named for the English natural history presenter David Attenborough, who went to school in Leicestershire, where the fossil was found.

Holotype (top left), on a slab of Ediacaran rock containing Charnia (lower right) and Bradgatia (left)