The fossil of an ancient Cambrian worm called the Penis worm was recently discovered in a toothed mouth and a toothed throat.
The scientists at the University of Cambridge said that the worm is extinct since the last 500 million years. Due to its toothed structure, it looks like some frightening alien in a Star Wars movie, according to Last Minute Stuff.
They also discovered that the worm had the ability to turn its entire mouth inside out and use this motion to drag itself along the ground, using nothing but the teeth inside its throat, according to UPI News.
The scientists used the method of electron microscopy and scanned the insides of the penis worm fossil, which was found in Western Canada. This unconventional teeth structure led them to believe that they can now differentiate the ancient worm species in a better way, based on their teeth structure.
Even though it sounds a little bizarre, this worm is helping the scientists to create a dentists' handbook, which can be used as a journal to categorize and differentiate ancient worms.
According to the scientists, since teeth is the hardest part present in animals, they are more easily preserved when a species is fossilized. Hence, the new discovery of the toothed penis worm can prove to be really helpful in determining the life and times of other such worms and species.
More than 15 different species of the penis worms are known to scientists till date. The scientific name of the penis worm is "Ottoia prolifica."