CreaturesDiscovery of a Lifetime: Student Discovers Ancient “Living Fossil” Underneath Rock Posted on June 19, 2025 by Administrator A newly discovered velvet worm species is the first ever found in South Africa’s arid Karoo region. In March 2022, Stellenbosch University student Rohan Barnard was exploring a farm in the Swartberg Mountains between Calitzdorp and Oudtshoorn, turning over rocks in search of ants, reptiles, and other small creatures. During his search, he made the discovery of a lifetime.
