Ediacaran marine life. Illustration of the marine life found in seas between 580 million and 560 million years ago, in what is known as the Ediacaran Period. This period is named after the Ediacara Hills of South Australia where fossils of these animals and plants are found. This period overlaps with the longer Vendian Period, both being part of the Precambrian era. Similar fossils are found in Vendian rocks worldwide. Shown here are: jellyfish (Ediacaria flindersi, white); Mawsonites spriggi (blue); Kimberella quadrata (bullet-shaped); sea pens (Charniodiscus arboreus and Charniodiscus oppositus); flat worms (Dickinsonia costata, on seabed); and algae (dark green tufts).