One of Earth's Oldest Animal Fossils Found in Norwegian Sheep Field

A three-dimensionally preserved Charnia fossil dating back 560 million years has been found in a sheep field in Finnmark, Norway — the first confirmed Charnia in Scandinavia and Europe's first major new Ediacaran site in decades. An underwater avalanche buried the soft-bodied creature, preserving its shape and revealing previously unseen keels along its branches.

• Fossil is 560 million years old, from the Ediacaran Period
• First confirmed Charnia find in Scandinavia
• 3D preservation revealed keels along its branches
• First major new Ediacaran site in Europe in decades