''Otavia antiqua'' is an early sponge-like fossil found in Namibia in the Etosha National Park. It is claimed to be the oldest animal fossil, being found in rock aged between 760 and 550 million years ago. The genus was named after the Otavi Group in Namibia in which the fossils were found. The oldest fossils are from the Tonian period, before the

Cryogenian The Cryogenian (from grc, κρύος, krýos, meaning "cold" and , romanized: , meaning "birth") is a geologic period that lasted from . It forms the second geologic period of the Neoproterozoic Era, preceded by the Tonian Period and followed by ...

glaciations, but the latest found were from the

Nama Group The Nama Group is a megaregional Vendian to Cambrian group of stratigraphic sequences deposited in the Nama foreland basin in central and southern Namibia. The Nama Basin is a peripheral foreland basin, and the Nama Group was deposited in two ear ...

rocks, which are from the

Ediacaran The Ediacaran Period ( ) is a geological period that spans 96 million years from the end of the Cryogenian Period 635 million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Cambrian Period 538.8 Mya. It marks the end of the Proterozoic Eon, and th ...

period. The shape of the fossils is irregular but rounded. The size varies from a third of a millimetre to . They are hollow inside, and have many small, osculum-like holes connecting the interior to the outside. The material of the outer wall is predominantly calcium phosphate. The affinities of these fossils, along with other paleontological evidence for precambrian sponges, are disputed.

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