Pojetaia runnegari

Pojetaia runnegari is an extinct mollusk from the Cambrian Period, approximately 510 million years ago. It is considered one of the oldest known bivalves, found in Cambrian rocks in Australia. This fossil is significant for understanding the early evolution of bivalves, with Pojetaia potentially being ancestral to the Nuculoida order. The Cambrian Period marked the beginning of a diverse fossil record, with the appearance of most animal phyla possessing mineralized shells or skeletons. While most Cambrian fossils are of hard parts, rare deposits with soft-bodied organisms, like those found in the Burgess Shale, provide crucial insights into ancient communities.12