Six skeletons have been uncovered in the wreck of a pirate ship that sank more than 300 years ago.
The remains were retrieved from Captain 'Black Sam' Bellamy's pirate ship, the Whydah, which met its fate off the coast of New England in 1717.
According to reports, the skeletons had become embedded in a number of large concretions - hard, compact heaps of stone and stand - that formed on the seabed.
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They were pulled from the water after the ship, believed to be the only fully authenticated pirate vessel in the world, was discovered more than 35 years ago.
The Whydah is said to have been a former slave ship, which was stolen by pirates and sank following a violent storm.
It's understood that only two of the 146 crew members on board survived.
The skeletons, which were recovered along with weapons and other items, were only recently identified after being analysed by a team of researchers.
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Underwater archaeologist Barry Clifford headed up the team that examined the remains.
Speaking about the find, he said: "We hope that modern, cutting-edge technology will help us identify these pirates and reunite them with any descendants who could be out there."
Casey Sherman is another member of the research team, and two years ago actually managed to trace Black Sam's DNA to a descendant in England.
It is now hoped that these new remains will lead the team to the real Sam, who is one of 40 crew members to have never been found.
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Mr Sherman said: "That bone was identified as a human male with general ties to the Eastern Mediterranean area.
"These newly found skeletal remains may finally lead us to Bellamy as we now have his DNA."
The concretions in which these remains were found are now on display at the Whydah Pirate Museum in West Yarmouth, Massachusetts.
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Back in 2019, it was reported that an island near Costa Rica harboured a treasure that is supposedly worth around $1bn (£820m) and is guarded by hundreds of sharks.
The treasure is thought to have been buried on the remote island of Cocos by captain William Thompson after he was entrusted with moving it from the Peruvian capital of Lima because of fears of an uprising.
The hoard contains a large amount of silver coins, diamonds and a huge gold statue of the Virgin Mary.
Thompson was reportedly supposed to take the treasure from Lima to Mexico in 1821 on his ship the Mary Dear, but he and his crew killed all the soldiers and priests on board before transporting the precious cargo to the island, where it was buried until the fuss had died down.
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They never made it back, suggesting that the treasure may still be buried somewhere on the island.
Featured Image Credit: Whydah Pirate Museum