Could our oldest ancestor be this primitive sea sponge?

Scientists believe they have discovered our oldest known ancestor in Namibia, Africa. No, not the first human — but quite possibly the first animal to have ever lived on planet Earth.

The 760-million-year-old sponge shown above is the earliest known animal to date. It was just one of hundreds of fossils of its type found in a rock being examined by geologists.

Classified as Otavia antiqua, the specimen is surprisingly similar to another sponge dated as 650-million-years-old. Otavia is believed to have lived in shallow water, feeding off algae and bacteria. That fact leads scientists to believe that Otavia was strong enough to survive several super ice ages that turned the Earth into a brick of ice.

[Image source: Anthony Prave, University of St. Andrews]

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This article was written by Fox Van Allen and originally appeared on Tecca

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