Scientists found a mollusk that was thought to be extinct 40,000 years ago

Scientist Jeff Goddard has found an animal in California that was thought to have been extinct for 40,000 years. This finding may be of great importance for future research.

As the Grunge reports, the find turned out to be a bivalve creature that has an articulated shell with flaps on its sides. When Goddard saw it, he realized it was not a species he knew. This despite the fact that the specialist is a researcher at the Institute of Marine Sciences at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and has been studying marine life for many years.

The scientist took a photo of the animal to show his colleague Paul Valentich-Scott, honorary curator of malacology at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. He was the one who was involved in the study of mollusks. But the expert in the field also failed to recognize the animal that was discovered. It turned out that this mollusk, which is called cymatioa cooki, which was considered extinct for 40 thousand years.

The latest data on the animal was documented in 1937 by specialist George Willett. He described in great detail in his writings the fossils he found in Los Angeles. This is what allowed his contemporary colleagues to identify the find.

Goddard suggested that because the coast of Southern California is well studied, the clam is probably not representative of the local fauna and therefore had not previously fallen into the hands of scientists.

According to the scientist, clams of this species likely live in the tidal zones of Baja California, which are covered with many boulders. Specialists managed to find 4 specimens of the animals, which are called cymatioa cooki, over several years.

Earlier OBOZREVATEL wrote that scientists have discovered minerals unknown to mankind in a 17-ton meteorite. They may provide the key to understanding how asteroids are formed.

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