Protulophila is a tiny marine animal that forms a network of minuscule holes in the tubes of marine worms.
An animal believed to have been extinct for four million years has been found near Picton.
Called protulophila, the tiny marine animal forms a network of minuscule holes in the tubes of marine worms.
It was thought to have become extinct around 4 million years ago, after a long geological
history extending back 170 million years into the Middle Jurassic period in Europe.
Its discovery occurred after fossil remains were found by a group of scientists including Niwa marine biologist Dr Dennis Gordon.
They had been working in Wanganui when they found fossilised protulophila in a tubeworm contained in rocks that were less than a million years old.
