Tully monster facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tully monster |
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| The Tully Monster Tullimonstrum gregarium fossil (part and counterpart) |
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Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Clade: | Bilateria |
| Genus: | †Tullimonstrum Richardson, 1966 |
| Type species | |
| Tullimonstrum gregarium Richardson, 1966
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The Tully Monster, officially known as Tullimonstrum, was a very unusual animal that lived a long, long time ago. It lived about 300 million years ago in warm, shallow waters near the coast. These places were often muddy estuaries, where rivers meet the sea. Scientists have only found one type of Tully Monster, called Tullimonstrum gregarium.
Contents
What Was the Tully Monster?
The Tully Monster was an extinct animal, meaning it no longer lives on Earth. It lived during a time called the Pennsylvanian geological period. This was long before dinosaurs roamed the planet!
What Did It Look Like?
Fossils of the Tully Monster show it had a unique body shape. It was somewhat like a torpedo, with a long, narrow body. It had a long, flexible snout with a claw-like mouth at the end. This mouth likely helped it grab food. It also had two eyes on stalks that stuck out from its sides. These eye stalks made it look even stranger!
Where Did It Live?
This mysterious creature lived in estuaries. These are special places where fresh water from rivers mixes with salty ocean water. The muddy bottoms of these estuaries were perfect for preserving the Tully Monster's body as a fossil.
What Kind of Animal Was It?
For a long time, scientists were not sure what kind of animal the Tully Monster was. Its strange features made it hard to classify. Some thought it might be like a mollusc, which includes snails and clams. Others wondered if it was like an arthropod, such as insects or crabs.
It was also compared to conodonts, which are ancient, eel-like creatures. Some even thought it could be a type of worm or even a vertebrate. Vertebrates are animals with a backbone, like fish, birds, and humans. Animals without a backbone are called invertebrates.
Modern Discoveries
In recent years, new studies have helped scientists understand the Tully Monster better. Many now believe it was a type of vertebrate. This means it likely had a simple backbone or something similar. It might have been related to lampreys, which are jawless fish. This discovery helped solve a big mystery about this ancient creature.
Images for kids
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Life reconstruction showing T. gregarium as an invertebrate
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Fossil in the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Milano. This specimen clearly shows the eye bar structure.
See also
In Spanish: Monstruo de Tully para niños
