Protulophila is still with us
Protulophila is not extinct - spread the word!!!
Thought to be extinct for four million years, it turns out Protulophila is still alive and kicking in New Zealand.
A tiny sea animal related to corals and sea anemones, it forms tiny holes on the tubes of marine worms. Earlier this year fossils of Protulophila were found in New Zealand. Two points of interest: first, the fossils were dated to a time when it was thought the tiny animal was already extinct, and second, the animal was thought to only have lived in Europe and the Middle East.
So scientists at NIWA, New Zealand’s National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, re-examined tubeworms that were collected in New Zealand back in 2008.
What did they find?
Protulophila living on the tubeworms.