In 1958, an Illinois man cracked open an ordinary rock and found a 300-million-year-old ‘monster’
TIMESOFINDIA.COM / May 19, 2026, 18:16 (IST)
A peculiar fossil, the Tully Monster, discovered in an Illinois coal mine, continues to puzzle scientists. This ancient creature, lacking bones or shells, possesses a unique anatomy. Debates rage over whether it was a vertebrate or an invertebrate. Thousands of these fossils have been found, all from the Mazon Creek estuary.