Arborea deticulata n. sp. from the Shibantan biota Photo: Courtesy of the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Leaf-like ancient creatures that lived at the bottom of an ancient sea about 550 million years ago, have been discovered in the Shibantan biota in the Three Gorges region of Central China鈥檚 Hubei Province, by the early life research team of the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS), in collaboration with American scholars, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Tuesday.

Unlike the leaves that grow on branches, these 鈥渓eaves鈥