Scientists Discover 430 Million-Year-Old Sea Cucumber

By Staff, Agencies

A team of international paleontologists led by the Oxford University Museum of Natural History have discovered the extremely well-preserved remains of an ancient relative of the marine invertebrates known as sea cucumbers.

Because of its many tentacles, the new organism was named Sollasina cthulhu, in honour of the monster from the works of Howard Lovecraft., according to the CNET portal.

The remains of organism were found at a site in Herefordshire, UK. The size of the organism did not exceed 3 cm, and the scientists discovered that the remains were 430 million years old.

With the help of tomography, scientists have recreated the appearance of the body of Sollasina Cthulhu; it had many tentacles, with which it hunted small prey at the bottom of freshwater bodies of water. In addition, it used tentacles for movement.

The 3D render also revealed an internal ring -- a first-time discovery for this group of extinct creatures -- that most likely formed part of a vascular system of "fluid filled canals" the creature used to move and feed.

While the fossil is only 3cm wide (just over 1 inch), researchers say "its many long tentacles would have made it appear quite monstrous to other small sea creatures alive at the time."