Scientists may have discovered a new animal after finding embryonic fossils belonging to an unidentified creature.
Believed to be from the Cambrian period, the small, spherical fossils were uncovered in southern China by a group of university researchers, Live Science reported.
The team was on the hunt for rare Cambrian era fossils formed from soft-tissue organisms such as sponges and worms. Searching in the Hubei province of southern China, the researchers found sphere-shaped fossils with "polygonal patterns" that are likely preserved embryos.
The patterns were similar to those seen in Markuelia embryonic fossils, specimens of a worm-like organism from the Cambrian era.
"We found over 140 spherically shaped fossils, some of which include features that are reminiscent of division-stage embryos, essentially frozen in time," researcher James Schiffbauer of the University of Missouri said in a statement quoted by Live Science.
The team used several methods to try to analyze the fossils. First, they attempted to use acid to dissolve the limestone that had formed around the fossils, but the technique was detrimental to the specimens.
The researchers then decided to examine the fossil surfaces through manual methods, chiseling by hand to separate the rock into millimeter- or centimeter-sized pieces. Next, the team used a range of method to study the specimens, such as slicing them thinly to be placed under a microscope and imaging them with x-ray scans.
The techniques revealed that the fossils were rich in phosphate, which enveloped calcite. The specimens are believed to be multicellular blastulas, preserved during that early stage of development.
The scientists believe the fossils came from the third stage of the Cambrian period, estimating their age to be between 521 million and 541 million years old.
The Cambrian era, which is dated to between 540 million to 485 million years ago, is characterized by scientists as a time of an "explosion of diversity" among species.
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