What is tully monster?

The Tully Monster, scientifically known as Tullimonstrum gregarium, is a bizarre and enigmatic fossil from the Late Pennsylvanian period (around 300 million years ago).

Key Characteristics:

• Location: Fossils are exclusively found in the Mazon Creek fossil beds of Illinois, USA.
• Appearance: It possessed a soft body, typically a few inches long. It had a distinctive proboscis ending in a claw-like structure, two stalked eyes, and a vertical tail fin. No bones or hard skeletal elements have been found.
• Classification: For many years, its classification was a major mystery. Its unique morphology made it difficult to place on the tree of life.
• Current Understanding: Recent research, involving detailed chemical analysis and comparison with other fossils, suggests that the Tully Monster was likely a vertebrate, potentially related to lampreys or other primitive chordates. However, this remains a topic of ongoing debate.
• Lifestyle: It is believed to have been a nektonic animal, swimming in the shallow, muddy coastal waters of the Pennsylvanian period, using its proboscis to probe the seabed for food.