567-million-year-old fossils reveal earliest animal movement and sex

A fossil site in Canada's Northwest Territories has yielded more than 100 Ediacaran specimens, including six groups never before recorded in North America. The discovery, published in Science Advances on August 6, 2026, pushes back the known timeline for animal movement and sexual reproduction by 5 to 10 million years.

The fossils, dated to approximately 567 million years old, belong to the White Sea assemblage, a group of early complex organisms previously undocumented on the continent. Researchers from the American Museum of Natural History and Dartmouth led the study, working on the traditional lands of the Sahtú Dene and Métis, who provided guidance and access.

The find matters because it fills a critical gap in the fossil record during the Ediacaran period, when life transitioned from microbial dominance to large, complex animals. According to lead author Scott Evans, assistant curator of invertebrate paleontology at the American Museum of Natural History, the site offers tremendous potential for understanding this pivotal shift.

The specimens include Dickinsonia, a flat, bathmat-like animal that absorbed nutrients through its underside; Funisia, a tube-shaped organism providing the oldest evidence of sexual reproduction; and Kimberella, a possible early mollusk that may be the oldest known bilaterian. The site also preserved Eoandromeda, a spiral-armed comb jelly candidate.

Previously, White Sea fossils were known only from Europe, Asia, and Australia. The new site, located in the Mackenzie Mountains, suggests these organisms lived in deeper water than expected, supporting the idea that early animal innovation began in stable offshore environments before spreading coastward.

The fossil-bearing layers are covered by hundreds of feet of rock that may hold more specimens. The fossils will become part of the permanent collection at the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre in Yellowknife.