Detecting eels 'living fossils' in the Pacific Ocean

The group of American, Palau and Japanese scientists discovered the new type of eel, known as the 'living fossil', at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.

This type of eel has the scientific name Protoanguilla.

Protoanguilla eel has an evolutionary history over 200 million years (Photo: BBC)

Scientists used a 18 cm Protoanguilla fish, which was raised from a cave in Palau, as a specimen. Genetic analyzes show that this is an eel, although its characteristics are very primitive.

Scientists say: 'This fish is even more primitive than the oldest major fossil fish found, indicating it represents a living fossil'.

To distinguish it from the modern eel species, scientists have drawn an eel family biological plant, showing that this is an independently developed eel species over the past 200 million years, originating in the Great early Trung Sinh, when dinosaurs began to dominate the planet.