The rare and mysterious "fairy circles" found in Namibia and Australia may not be so rare after all.

A new study indicates the round discs of barren dirt that look like polka dots spread for miles across the ground may be far more widespread than once believed.

Fairy circles were previously spotted only in western Australia's outback and southern Africa's Namib desert.

But a new study used artificial intelligence to identify vegetation patterns resembling fairy circles in hundreds of new locations across 15 countries on three continents. This could help scientists understand fairy circles and their formation on a global scale.

The new survey was published Monday in the journal proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.