Scientists have figured out the nature of the mysterious ancient "monster"

Tullimonstrum (lat. Tullimonstrum) is a genus of extinct aquatic animals of controversial systematic position. Extended

the body without limbs differed widelywith spaced eyes on stalks, a long trunk on the head that ended in jaws, and a diamond-shaped caudal fin. The size of representatives ranges from 8–35 cm. The first part of the generic name is the surname of the discoverer Francis Tully, the second part is Lat. monstrum - “miracle, wonder.”

They lived in the Earth's oceans 300 million years agoand left behind such bizarre fossils that researchers don’t even agree on whether these strange creatures had a backbone. 60 years after the discovery of a strange "alien" creature in 1958, the authors of a new study used 3D lasers to find out the truth. The results showed that Tullymonsters were an invertebrate, but not everyone agrees.

“We believe the mystery of what it was isinvertebrate or vertebrate is unraveled,” said Tomoyuki Mikami, first author of the study, a doctoral student at the University of Tokyo and a research fellow at the National Museum of Nature and Science in Tokyo. He added that the hypothesis that Tullymonster was a vertebrate is “untenable.”

Researchers have scanned more than 150tullimonster fossils to create color-coded 3D maps of the animal's anatomical structures. They also X-rayed one well-preserved proboscis to study the creature's teeth.

The results showed that signs of belongingTullymonster to vertebrate cyclostomes, including their teeth and gill sacs, have been misinterpreted. The teeth analyzed in the new study had convex bases, unlike cyclostome teeth, which are thinner at the base. The study authors added that the "gills" were actually "simply segmentations of the body."

The most convincing of all issegmentation found on the creature's head. “This characteristic is unknown in any vertebrate lineage, suggesting a relationship with invertebrates,” the scientists explain.

Latest study publishedin the journal Palaeontology is one of many attempts by scientists to classify this creature. Previous analysis of the remains of Tullimonstrum gregarium indicated that it was either a vertebrate relative of modern cyclostomes (including lampreys and hagfish) from the chordate group, or an unknown invertebrate.

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Cover photo: Wikimedia Commons