Another class of late Precambrian organisms called the Vendian or Ediacaran biota included the fossilized remains of many soft-bodied organisms, including many that may well have been lichens, algae, or protists (microorganisms with cells containing nuclei). Cambrian-era strata themselves preserve many soft-bodied creatures and structures. The Burgess Shale in particular preserved the soft parts of several types of hard-bodied Cambrian animals, such as Marrella splendens,26 Wiwaxia,27 and Anomalocaris. The Burgess Shale also documents entirely soft-bodied representatives28 of several phyla,
