Discover the Enigma: Massive, Ancient Life Form Defies All Known Classification in Nature

Millions of years ago, strange creatures called Prototaxites stretched high into the sky. These ancient organisms were some of the first giants to thrive on land. Some grew up to 26 feet (8 meters) tall and looked like tree trunks made of tiny tubes. For over 150 years, scientists debated their place in the tree of life. New research suggests they might not belong to any known group—they could represent a whole new lineage.

Researchers from the UK dove into the fossil remains of a Prototaxites species named P. taiti. Their findings indicate that Prototaxites were not fungi, as long thought, but were likely part of a now-extinct group of multicellular eukaryotes. This study, although not yet peer-reviewed, can be found on the preprint server bioRxiv.

Corentin Loron, one of the researchers from The University of Edinburgh, shared, “We re-examined P. taiti and found it doesn’t fit the traditional idea of fungi.” Previously, a 2007 study had suggested Prototaxites were ancient fungi, but Loron and his team took a closer look. They compared the anatomy and molecular makeup of Prototaxites with ancient fungi from the Rhynie chert in Scotland, a site rich in Early Devonian fossils.

They discovered P. taiti was unique—it was the largest organism in its ecosystem, showing clear differences from all known fungi. Notably, they didn’t find the usual chitin or chitosan molecules found in fungi today or in the fossil record.

The research highlighted three key features of Prototaxites: large tube-like structures, compounds similar to lignin (which strengthens plant cells), and a heterotrophic lifestyle, where it consumed other organisms for food. Essentially, this suggests Prototaxites had a unique way of living and growing.