Here’s a little factoid to pull out whenever you want to piss off “my grandpa wasn’t a monkey!” types — we may have found mankind’s oldest ancestor yet, and it’s a sponge.
Scientists have found fossils of tiny sponge-like creatures in 760-million year old Namibian rocks. Before the discovery of these creatures, named Otavia antiqua, the most ancient multi-celled animals to be found were a mere 650-million years old, so Otavia antiqua is now the oldest known animal on earth, and possibly the forerunner of every other form of animal life on the planet.
So, a few facts about your newly discovered relatives — apparently these creatures lived in small ponds, ate algae and were pretty tough, surviving two lengthy ice ages.
Otavia antiqua — a sponge any family would be proud to have.