The ‘mythical beast’ is described as a helmeted wormlike animal that lived in the ocean approximately 500 million years ago and also had a series of spikes running down its back.
The newly discovered creature has been named Orthrozanclus elongate.
“Odder still, its head is covered by a small shell, almost as if it’s wearing a bike helmet,” said Martin Smith, an assistant professor at Durham University.
“We don’t know much about the animal underneath these mineralised plates – whether it had legs or a slug-like foot, [and] whether it had teeth or tentacles.”
