An archaeological dig in Mexico has uncovered strange elongated skulls from more than a millenia ago.
The skulls have been seized on by UFO enthusiasts as evidence of 'aliens' - with one poster on David Icke's site asking, 'Does this look human to you?'
The burial site contained 25 individuals, 13 with elongated skulls - reminiscent of the monster from Ridley Scott's Alien.
Five of the skulls also showed signs of dental mutilation. The remains were found 1,000 feet from the village of Onavas, south of Sonora in Mexico.
The 'cranial deformation' in the skulls is actually intentional - carried out by binding the heads of babies to produce the bizarre effect.
For pre-Hispanic cultures in the area, longer skulls were a sign of social status.
'Cranial deformation in Mesoamerican cultures was used to differentiate one social group from another and for ritual purposes,' said Cristina Garcia Moreno, the head of the research project.
South American cultures such as the Maya and Inca practiced cranial deformation - and the practice was also known in Germany and Ancient Greece.
The new find is unique in the region - although such elongated skulls have been found at numerous sites throughout south America.'This is the first pre-Hispanic cemetery in the state,' say the researchers. 'It is 1000 years old. These practices of cranial deformation and dental mutilation have never been seen before in groups in Sonora.'
