First sexual intercourse happened 570 million years ago

London, Mar 22 : The act of sex may be nearly as old as animal life itself, at least that's what the new discovery suggests. According to scientists, the first creature who enjoyed a romp did it 570 million years ago and was 12 inches long.

Fossils of a long, thin rope-like creature, called Funisia dorothea, standing erect on the sea floor suggest that they were at it 30million years before anyone else, scientists say.

"We are seeing possibly the very first instance of sexual reproduction in animals on our planet," The Sun quoted Mary Droser, a professor at the University of California, as saying.

The creatures have been found in what is now the Australian outback.

Expert Rachel Wood, of the University of Edinburgh, said: "Funisia had close-packed growth, allowing us to presume this organism reproduced sexually."

"This is how many primitive animals, such as sponges and corals, reproduce today," she added.

ANI