Edrioblastoidea

The Edrioblastoidea were a class of extinct echinoderms belonging to the subphylum Pelmatozoa. These marine invertebrates are characterized by a plated, yet flexible, sac-like body. They are known from fossils dating back to the Lower Cambrian Period, indicating significant evolution occurred even before this time.12

Echinoderm classification is complex and debated, with fossils playing a role in understanding evolutionary relationships. While many early echinoderms lacked calcified skeletons and thus did not fossilize, the Edrioblastoidea, like other echinoderms, possessed a skeleton. The Ediacaran Period, preceding the Cambrian, saw the rise of soft-bodied organisms, some of which may have been ancestors to later shelled creatures.342567