Free Republic

"If you're going to make extraordinary claims, you need extraordinary evidence," said researcher Lauren Sallan. Last year, two scientific papers claimed to have solved the Tully mystery. According to the two studies, the Tully Monster was definitively a vertebrate But the last thing that the Tully Monster could be is a fish. "Initially it was published as a worm," So the problem is, if it does have cup eyes, then it can't be a vertebrate

A 300 million year-old fossil mystery has been solved by a research team led by the University of Leicester, which has identified that the ancient 'Tully Monster' was a vertebrate -- due to the unique characteristics of its eyes. Tullimonstrum gregarium or as it is more commonly known the 'Tully Monster', found only in coal quarries in Illinois, Northern America, is known to many Americans because its alien-like image can be seen on the sides of large U-haul™ trailers which ply the freeways. Despite being an iconic image -- a fossil with a striped body, large tail, a pair of...

The mysterious Tully monster is not likely to have been a vertebrate - despite its hard cartilage ridged back - scientists claim, after discovering unusual elements within its fossilised eyes. Tullimonstrum, also known as the Tully monster, which lived 300 million years ago, has baffled scientists since fossils were first discovered 60 years ago. A previous discovery in 2016 found Tully to have a stiffened rod of cartilage that supported its body and gills - suggesting that the creatures were predatory vertebrates, similar to some primitive fish.

To look at the Tully monster, it’s reasonable to say that it’s reminiscent of a slug. At its mid-body, what are believed to be eyes protrude outward on two stalks, like those of a slug. However, in the place where one might assume the mouth would be located is a long, thin appendage with a claw at its end. This claw appears to have teeth. In 2016, a group of scientists conducted a study and said the Tully monster had finally been classified. Their evidence suggested that it was, in fact, a vertebrate. The study focused on prominent features in...