Sponges

Oldest Animal Discovered—Earliest Ancestor of Us All?

7 Feb 2012

Could 760-million-year-old African "sponges" be humankind's earliest known ancestors?

World's First Animals Were Namibian Sponges

7 Feb 2012

These animal fossils push back the date of the world's first animals another 100 million years.

Fossils find in Namibia is world's oldest animal life - and our oldest ancestor is a sponge from 760 million years ago

7 Feb 2012

Sponge-like fossils unearthed in rocks Namibia's Etosha National Park are the world's oldest animal life, say University of St Andrews researchers - proving that animals emerged 760 million years ago.