A new species of worm with three sexes has been discovered in a briny Californian lake that was previously thought to be practically devoid of life.

The microscopic worm is so resilient in can survive 500 times the lethal human dose of arsenic and also carries its young inside its body like a kangaroo.

The new species – which has been named Auanema sp. – lives in Mono lake in the Eastern Sierras of California which is three times as salty as the ocean and has an alkaline pH of 10.

It’s so inhospitable that only two species – brine shrimp and diving flies – we’re thought to be able to survive in it (other than bacteria and algae).

However, researchers have now discovered eight more species living in the lake, all belonging to a class of microscopic worms called nematodes. They are classed as extremophiles – organisms that thrive in conditions unsuitable for most life forms.

Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2019 Show all 15 1 /15 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2019 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2019 Space man "This sweet little Japanese snow monkey ran around after he had rolled in the snow" - Roie Galitz Roie Galitz/Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards 2019 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2019 Show time "It's a normal behaviour of mantis. They're doing defence" - Hasan Baglar Hasan Baglar/Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards 2019 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2019 Holly jolly snowy "A snowy owl makes a cute pose and face as he perches in the sand at Jones Beach, Long Island" - Vicki Jauron Vicki Jauron/Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards 2019 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2019 Deer - What deer? "Shooting the Red Deer rut in Richmond Park, I noticed this deer covered in bracken. It's not unusual for them to adorn themselves with bracken and grass, but this one's taken it to extremes" - Mike Rowe Mike Rowe/Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards 2019 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2019 Waving polar bear cub A polar bear on the island of Spitsbergen in Norway's Svalbard Archipelago Barry Chapman/Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards 2019 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2019 Inconspicuous "Either penguins are working on a new form of jet propulsion, or someone has a little gas" - Eric Keller Eric Keller/Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards 2019 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2019 The photographer at work Squirrels in a wood in Lincoln Bob Riach/Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards 2019 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2019 Sea otter tickle fight "Amazing (and hilarious in this shot's case!) close up views of sea otters cavorting in Elkhorn Slough just off Monterey Bay, California, when we were on holiday there. These hugely impressive sea otters were completely at ease and interacting with each other with characteristic otter playfulness. Feeding on crabs together, these two still found time for a tickle fight to decide who got the juiciest crab for dinner! An enchanting and amusing memory, from an unforgettable wildlife experience" - Andy Harris Andy Harris Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2019 Dad tells off the kids Seals in California Nicola Beyfus/Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards 2019 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2019 The bear necessities "In Alaska this past summer, we were watching Brown Bears catching salmon out of a small river. This young juvenile had a very successful morning and walked over next to us and plopped down with a full stomach. Over the next 10 minutes he went through a hilarious range of emotions - from hiding his face from the light of day and completely passing out, to giving us a "diva" look and his overall face of satisfaction" - Eric Fisher Eric Fisher/Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards 2019 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2019 Pair ice skating... "A pair of gentoo penguins on Neko Island in South Georgia is training for the pair ice skating at the next Winter Olympics" - Andre Erlich Andre Erlich/Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards 2019 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2019 Laughing barn owl A barn owl in Cavelo, California Kenneth Tinkham/Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards 2019 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2019 Queen of smile A kingfisher in Chennai, India Abu Galy/Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards 2019 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2019 I'm not sticking my head in there "Four sibling baby geese were swimming in a close formation, looking for food. One of them would wait for the others to come up with a tasty snack and then try to steal it from them" - Ross LaManna Ross LaManna/Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards 2019 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2019 Burrowing owlets Burrowing owlets in Eastern Colorado, US Robert Palmer/Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards 2019

Researchers found other similar species of nematode did not have such high resistance to arsenic, even though these worms do not live in environments with high arsenic levels.

They also found the new species Auanema sp. was able to thrive in the laboratory under non-extreme conditions, according to the paper published in Current Biology. This suggests it is both resilient and flexible in adapting to both harsh and benign environments.

Mono Lake, located in the Eastern Sierras of California, is three times as salty as the ocean and has an alkaline pH of 10 (Getty)

Nematodes are a ‘truly trisexual’ species, meaning they are male, female and hermaphrodite.

The have both eggs and sperm, and produce several hundred offspring through self-fertilisation. If they choose to breed via sexual reproduction they can shuffle their genes to produce lots of male offspring,

The problem with self-fertilisation is that the offspring lack the genetic diversity that comes from male-female breeding.

When environmental conditions are positive male female sexual reproduction makes sense. However, when things are worse, they self-fertilise and produce lots of offspring very quickly which can then go a and find new places to live.

“Extremophiles can teach us so much about innovative strategies for dealing with stress,” said Dr Pei-Yin Shih, a graduate student at the California Institute of Technology.

“Our study shows we still have much to learn about how these 1000-celled animals have mastered survival in extreme environments.”

Drinking water contaminated with arsenic is a major global health concern. Understanding how these worms deal with it could help researchers understand how it moves through and affects cells.

“It’s tremendously important that we appreciate and develop a curiosity for biodiversity,” said Dr James Siho Lee, who is now a postdoctoral fellow at The Rockefeller University.