Stunningly Preserved 165-Million-Year-Old Spider Fossil Found

[n2doc]

By Tia Ghose February 9, 2010



Scientists have unearthed an almost perfectly preserved spider fossil in China dating back to the middle Jurassic era, 165 million years ago. The fossilized spiders, Eoplectreurys gertschi, are older than the only two other specimens known by around 120 million years.

The level of detail preserved in the fossils is amazing, said paleontologist Paul Selden of the University of Kansas and lead author of the study appearing Feb. 6 in Naturwissenschaften. “You go in with a microscope, and bingo! It’s fantastic.”

The fossils were found at a site called Daohugou in Northern China that is filled with fossilized salamanders, small primitive mammals, insects and water crustaceans. During the Jurassic era, the fossil bed was part of a lake in a volcanic region, Selden said.

Spider fossils from this period are rare, because the arachnids’ soft bodies don’t preserve well. The pristine fossil pictured in these photos was probably created when the spider was trapped in volcanic ash. The ultrafine clay particles squashed the spider without breaking up the animals’ delicate cuticle as more coarse sediment would, Selden said.



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[Captain Hilts]

1. Eeeeeeeek! This thread needs a warning!

[mod mom]

2. Hey...I see Jesus Christ's image in that fossil. That will mean it's got value!

;)

[troubledamerican]

10. I see the Goldman Sachs logo

[MineralMan]

3. Nice. Of course fossil spiders in amber have even more detail,

and even DNA remnants. Still, this is a great one.

[theoldman]

4. It looks like a modern spider.

I guess insects evolve much slower than mammals.

[sharesunited]

8. No need to adapt means spiders must be perfect!

[Libertas1776]

5. Uh, excuse me...

but I think you mean 4,000 year old spider :sarcasm: You know the same time as when dinosaurs, Fred Flintstone and Moses were running around the Earth...at least that's what the teabaggers tell me.

[Berry Cool]

7. Fred Flintstone rode a spider?

Anyway, it doesn't look like Jesus to me. I see Ronald McDonald screaming.

[pleah]

6. K&R Cool!

[TheCowsCameHome]

9. Speaking of fossils, it looks like the "splat" from McCains presidential bid

[shireen]

11. beautiful!

spiders are pretty cool.

cockroaches ... different story. ugh!

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

12. I see Awesome Face.

He's got long hair and a beard, so I guess it's Awesome Jesus.