LEICESTER, England, March 25 (UPI) -- Researchers say a remarkably preserved fossil discovered in China sheds new light on an important group of primitive sea creatures.
The 525 million-year-old fossil belongs to a group of tentacle-bearing marine creatures that lived inside hard tubes, but whereas previously only the tubes have been seen in detail in fossils this new specimen clearly shows the soft parts of the body including tentacles for feeding, a release from the University of Leicester, which took part in the discovery, said Thursday.
The fossilized creature belongs to a group called pterobranch hemichordates, related to sea stars and sea urchins, but also shows some characteristics that offer clues to the evolution of the earliest vertebrates, researchers said.
Pterobranches secrete a substance that builds up into a hard tube around their soft body while their tentacles extend from the top of the tube to catch plankton.
Although less than 1 1/2 inches long, the fossil, discovered in China's Yunnan province, is beautifully preserved and minute details can be seen including 36 tiny tentacles along one feathery arm.
"Amazingly, it has exceptionally preserved soft tissues -- including arms and tentacles used for feeding -- giving unrivalled insight into the ancient biology of the group," David Siveter from the University of Leicester's Department of Geology said.
