A large number of lancelets, a marine creature of the same age of dinosaurs, were discovered in the sea area off Maoming City, South China's Guangdong Province.

Bordering the South China Sea, the Maoming City boasts a coastline of over 360 kilometers.

The first group of about 30 lancelets were discovered in April 2002 when the local marine and piscatorial staff were making an investigation at the sea area off the Fangji Island.

In August 2003, led by Zhanjiang University of Oceanology, an investigation team began to set observation spots in the sea area and discovered that the largest distribution density of the lancelets is 573 heads per square meter.

Later observation results at the end of last year further proves that there are abundant lancelets resources in the sea area of over 150 square kilometers.

Named as "living fossils", the lancelets are of great value to the research on the evolution of animals and human beings.

As a rare species, the number of the lancelets in the world is very small. The sea area off the Xiamen City, southeastern Fujian Province, is a major producing area of the fish.

But according to sources with the local marine department, the number of the fish resources discovered in Maoming sea area is even larger than that in the Xiamen sea area. And the local government is planning to establish a special nature reserve for the rare ancient fish species.

(Xinhua News Agency April 7, 2004)