The mystery of a strange creature dubbed the "alien goldfish", which has puzzled fossil experts for decades, may have been solved.
The Typhloesus wellsi was discovered in the Bear Gulch Limestone fossil site in Montana in the late 1960's, with the remains of other species subsequently identified.
The Typhloesus had a ball-shaped body up to 90mm in length, a fin on its back end, and no anus, leaving scientists confused as to where it belonged on the tree.
The discovery of tiny teeth within Typhloesus fossils added to the confusion.
He said thatTyphloesus was an orphan in the tree of life.
The researchers say a toothy structure found in the animals'gut may help clear up confusion.
It is thought thatTyphloesus was a unique group of molluscs that went extinct during the Carboniferous period.
Many of the Typhloesus housed in the Royal Ontario Museum have not been studied before, according to a letter written by Prof Simon Morris and his colleague, Mr. Caron.
They found a toothed ribbon like feeding apparatus in the center of several of the specimen. There is a 4mm-long structure in the foregut of Typhloesus.
The structure may have been turned inside out by Typhloesus to catch prey.
The tongue of a lizard is similar to that of an insect. Typhloesus may have eaten from the sea floor, as well as consuming conodonts, because it is very quick.
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The case is still going on. He said that it is unlikely that everyone will agree with the team's interpretation that the creature may have been a type of gastropods.
The study was welcomed by a palaeontologist at the University of Oxford.
Even if the authors can't place the radula in the tree of life, it's a paleontological mystery solved.
While the radula is convincing, it is not certain if Typhloesus was a mollusc because different types of animal have independently evolved radula-like features.
He said it was a very strange animal. The researchers have found some new information, but it's not a slam-dunk case to know what this weird thing is.
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