Fossil found in park named by researchers

The Charnia brasieri was at least 60cm (24in) long, experts say

Researchers have named an ancient fossil that was discovered at a park in Leicestershire.

Charnia brasieri, which was found at Bradgate Park, would have lived on the ancient seafloor about 560 million years ago, and is "one of the oldest animal fossils yet discovered", a spokesperson for Charnwood Forest Geopark said.

They added it was initially thought to be another example of the Charnia masoni sea creature but researchers spotted differences and concluded it "didn't fit with anything previously described".

The fossil was named in honour of University of Oxford professor, Martin Brasier, who studied fossils around the world before he died in a car crash in 2014.

Fossil material from Canada and Charnwood Forest was re-examined by a team from the Memorial University of Newfoundland, led by Prof Duncan Mcilroy, who called the new species "strange" and "fascinating".

The Charnia brasieri fossil measures 60cm (24in) long but is cut off by the rockface so could have been longer.

The new species was discovered during the re-examination of fossil material

The geopark's geoheritage officer, Dr Jack Matthews said: "Martin played a key role in work to better understand and conserve the ancient fossils of Charnwood Forest, so it is incredibly appropriate that his memory should live on through the naming of this new species of Charnia."

Dr Matthews said there was some "debate" about how the creature got its nutrients, with some people believing it absorbed them from the water around it but others suspecting it cultivated its own bacteria.

He said: "It was not a predator. To be a predator you need tentacles or movement and that was not widespread at this time."

The exact location of fossil sites in Charnwood Forest are not revealed publicly in order to "keep them safe" due to their rarity, the geopark spokesperson said.

Bradgate Park is home to some of the oldest fossils and rocks in England, and was declared as a National Nature Reserve (NNR) in 2024 to protect its geological and archaeological "treasures".

The publication of the new species was announced in the journal Precambrian Research.