The discovery of a more than two-million year old fossil has researchers convinced that the ancient hammerhead was more reptile than fish, surviving as the marine reptile's first vegetarian.

With the fossils found in the Yunnan Province of southwestern China, scientists recently published their theory of how the creatures subsisted on algae alone in an edition of "Science Advances."

"We were blown away by this," National Museum of Scotland paleontologist Nick Fraser said of the 243-million-year-old fossil find. "There were some strange animals around [back then], and this reminds me of one of those Dr. Seuss creations in "Oh, the Thinks You Can Think!"

Initial samples from the species first came trickling in around 2014. Back then, all seemed what it had always been with the fossils, each of them measuring about three meters, with short necks and flippers equipped for ocean life.

Distinctive Teeth Make Finds Possible

But as researchers did more digging, they were captivated by the rows and rows of small, razor sharp teeth each of the animals carried. Scientists compared the phenomenon to that of the Atopodentatus marine creature, which is believed to have used its snout to dig into the ocean floor for small prey, using its thin teeth to pull its find.

"The animal described in 2014 was based on one specimen, which was pretty complete to be honest," said Fraser. "But the skull was a bit mashed up, particularly on the front end, and it was difficult to see how it all went together. The original authors obviously did the best they could."

Through all the new research, scientists were riveted by the hammerhead skull all the new discoveries carried. All the new animals also had wide mouths and a collection of large and small chisel-like choppers.

"It was very difficult just looking at the fossil itself to see how the thing could have worked," added Fraser. "So we bought some clay and toothpicks and arranged them in this jaw and saw what was going on."

Food Finding Process Like no Other

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State paleontologist Sterling Nesbitt compared the animal's food trapping process to an underwater lawn mower.

"This is just such a bizarre [animal], eating something that we really didn't think about [as a food source] before this fossil," he said. "It's basically an underwater lawn mower. There is absolutely nothing like it alive today."

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