Scientists Discover Mysterious Creature Living in the Great Salt Lake — and It Exists Nowhere Else on Earth

University of Utah researchers identified a new free-living nematode species, Diplolaimelloides woaabi, in Great Salt Lake microbialites.

Genetic testing and microscopic analysis confirmed the tiny worm, under 1.5 millimeters long, as a distinct species.

It may be one of only three known animal groups living in the lake’s hypersaline waters.

The discovery adds to known life in Great Salt Lake and may help scientists study adaptation to extreme, isolated environments.