The mysterious water body Tullimonstrum gregarium, who lived on the territory of the State of Illinois (US) 308 million years ago, turned out to vertebrates, lampreys relative. Earlier this animal ranked as worms, mollusks, arthropods and conodonts. A new attribution fossils reported in the journal Nature.
«Tully Monster” was first opened in 1958, and a scientific description published in 1966. They named it in honor of paleontologist amateur Francis Tully, who discovered traces of the animal in a coal mine. Soon, in the same area we have discovered hundreds of other tullimonstrov – fossil animals were included in the concretions. In the 1990s, the creature has become one of the state symbols. Several hundred fossils were donated Tully Fields Museum of Natural History in Chicago.
Analysis of morphological traits of the animal, which was conducted by Victoria McCoy (Victoria McCoy) from Yale University, has helped to clarify the place of “Tully Monster” on the evolutionary tree. According to biologists, the two-dimensional structure in the middle of the fossil record, which used to be followed by the intestine, is actually a chord (rudimentary spine). In addition, tullimonstr had gills.
McCoy argues that the length of the animal reached ten centimeters, had a segmented body, wide-set eyes on stalks, long trunk on his head, and tail fin. All these properties suggest that tullimonstr was vertebrates, lampreys related. Scientists still unclear when tullimonstry appeared on Earth, and when they became extinct: All known fossils of these creatures have been found in Illinois mine, and they lived 307-308 million years ago
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