Nasa rover finds unusual coral-like rocks on Mars

Ever since Nasa's Curiosity rover first landed on Mars, it has made a number of amazing discoveries.

For the past thirteen years, the robot has captured everything from sunrays on the red planet to rare sulphur crystals.

And it's latest find is just as impressive.

Scientists at the US space agency have revealed that Curiosity has snapped a picture of unusual coral-shaped rocks, thought to be billions of years old.

What did experts find on Mars?

Last month, a camera on the end of Curiosity's robotic arm snapped the picture of the wind-eroded rock, shaped like a piece of coral.

It was taken on the 4,608th Martian day of the robot's mission.

Nicknamed "Paposo" by Nasa's rover science team, the rock was about 2 inches (5 centimetres) from the camera when it was photographed.

According to the US space agency, Curiosity has found many small features like this one, which formed billions of years ago when water still existed on Mars.

Water carried dissolved minerals into rock cracks and later dried, which left the hardened minerals behind.

Over time, wind on Mars has slowly worn away the surrounding rock, producing unique shapes.

What is Nasa's Curiosity rover?

Curiosity took this selfie of itself on Mars in November 2020

Curiosity landed on Mars on 6 August 2012.

The rover has been exploring the surface of Mars since arriving, and has made some pretty cool discoveries - even taking the first selfie on Mars!

The robot's mission is to search for evidence of life and to learn more about the planet.

It can take pictures, collect samples and study the surface of the planet - and then beam the information back to scientists on Earth.