Tawuia

Tawuia is a millimetric disc or sausage-shaped, most likely multicellular (although coenocytic) macrofossil from the Proterozoic. Stratigraphically, they range from 1,630 million years ago^[1] to the early Cambrian.^[2]

Tawuia Temporal range: Statherian to Cambrian Stage 3, 1630–518 Ma Pha. Proterozoic Archean Had.
Fossil specimen, Geological Museum of China
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	incertae sedis
Genus:	†Tawuia H.J.Hofmann, 1979

Reconstruction as a slime mold-like organism

A reconstruction of Tawuia as a coenocytic macroalgae with epibionts.

The fossils are often preserved as organic compressions. They are sometimes considered to represent microbial structures;^[3] some authors affiliate them with slime molds.^[3] However, Tawuia is instead likely an alga, as sub-cellular structures supporting this have been preserved.^[4]