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'Unknown lifeform' discovered in ancient fossil
Scientists have discovered what they claim are traces of "an unknown life form" in rocks at a "secret location" in Devon in south-west England.
Scientists have discovered what they claim are traces of "an unknown life form" in rocks at a "secret location" in Devon in south-west England.
A team has found the animal, which made large burrows through sediment at the bottom of desert wadis in Torbay some 260 million years ago, which it says could be unknown to the world of science.
Lead scientist Kevin Page from Plymouth University said that they've been unable to find any known animal, alive or extinct, that would have been responsible for the kind of burrows found in the deposits.
He was quoted by The Daily Telegraph as saying: "If it was something like a worm, it was a very big worm. It was older than dinosaurs. It'd have been active in the sediment of waterholes at the foot of limestone mountains.
"It must have been some strange creature -- possibly burrowing around in the cool of the water during the day and possibly coming out to feed at night in the desert region. We have evidence of some giant millipedes in the Bay, but this is something different. It could be a completely new species."
