Some people are searching for Pokemon, others for a mysterious ancient animal that has not been seen alive for almost a century. The mammal we are talking about is called Zenkerella and researchers thought it disappeared for many years. However, they found dead specimens of it, which means that this mammal can be alive after all this time.
- Researchers found dead specimens of Zenkerella.
- This is a mysterious ancient animal that has not been seen alive for almost a century.
- Scientists are trying to find out more things about this ancient animal.
The study was made by researchers from the Keck School of Medicine, California. The scientists said the Zenkerella could have to be seen as a Pokemon, but they were not able to find or catch it alive. It is possible that the animal shows up during the night, in the jungles of central Africa. There he might spend most of its time in trees, which means it would be hard for a person to see it.
How are the researchers sure that Zenkerella exists? They tested its DNA and the results showed the specimens they found and the ancient creature are connected.
This discovery is important because only 11 Zekerella fossils can be seen in museums, in the whole world. This animal could exist for more than 49 million years ago. Of course, it evolved and its look might not be the same but researchers managed to find out what specimens they have found. And they are not going to stop here. According to them, they are just starting to work on descriptions of Zekerella’s anatomy. There could be also more species in the forests of Africa that science has not discovered by now. We will see if scientists will manage to find out more about this ancient mammal and how it have survived during all this time.
This species was first described by a German zoologist in 1898. It seems it lives in the tropical forest of southern Cameroon, Congo and Central Africa. However, nobody was able to see it alive. It is for the first time when researchers have analyzed the nuclear DNA of Zenkerella. This animal might be one of the oldest that lived on our planet. More research will be made about it and we hope that, in the future, it will not be a mystery anymore.
Image source: Geograph.org.uk
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