Mysterious decoding 60 years of life

Scientists have identified the creature "purple socks" - bearing the shape and color of a purple sock - at the bottom of the sea and naming it Xenoturbella.

According to the study published in the recent Nature journal, Xenoturbella belongs to one of the branches that make up life on Earth.

The team leader, Professor Greg Rouse of Scripps Institution of Oceanography in the US, said they called this strange creature nicknamed "purple socks" because of similar shapes and colors. Xenoturbella looks like a deflated bubble.

The first description of Xenoturbella appeared in 1949. Living on the ocean floor, it had no eyes, brain and intestines. Food goes into the "mouth hole" and then the hole itself releases excretion. Initially, scientists mistakenly identified Xenoturbella as a mollusk based on decoding DNA of what this creature eats.

"Purple socks" creature is named Xenoturbella.(Photo: BBC).

With the help of a remote-controlled amphibious device (ROV) , scientists were able to study Xenoturbella more thoroughly and shoot the first images of it. A specimen of scientists, about 20cm long, was named Xenoturbella monstrosa.

Professor Rouse said that Xenoturbella should be considered a creature belonging to the original group . "They are close to the root of the evolutionary tree and have now discovered four new species instead of just one big evolutionary branch," he said.

There was a question that Professor Rouse's team couldn't answer, that they didn't see Xenoturbella eating. They also have no teeth and the mouth structure cannot hold "prey" - if any. The team hopes that in the future they will unravel the mystery surrounding this ocean's strange creature.

The images analyzed "purple socks" . (Photo: MBARI).

. the creature has puzzled scientists for over 60 years.(Photo: MBARI).