Xianguangia sinica

Yunnan Province, China, ~518 million years old. *Xianguangia* had a cylindrical body with 18 feathery **tentacles** surrounding the mouth. The internal organs are thought to be housed inside the tapering **column** which attaches to the seabed by a **holdfast**. The general body shape, with mouth and tentacles facing up, are features shared with some modern cnidarians, including sea anemones and corals, and it may be an early example of this group. Created for the First Animals exhibition at Oxford University Museum of Natural History: www.oum.ox.ac.uk/firstanimals Model by Mighty Fossils: www.mightyfossils.com