Archaeologists exploring a forest area in Southeast Asia have made a landmark discovery: they found a crab body trapped in an amber piece 99 million years ago. For years, daily hunters among dinosaurs. This is the first time a protected crab specimen from this period has been found.

This amazingly well-preserved “Time Traveler” is not the only broken record, as it is the most complete crab fossil ever found, according to researchers. Thank you 5 mm long and similar to modern crabs.

Other researchers reported the discovery of a crab fossil in an amber piece from Mexico 15 million years ago. However, this new model from Myanmar fills in important gaps in our understanding of the evolution of crabs, including differences between different crab species. Details were published in the journal Scientific progress.

“It’s just comforting”

⁇ We are talking about extraordinary care, which means not a single hair is lost Says Javier Luke of Harvard University. ” Although it was very small, we were able to see some of the most beautiful details, including the gills. This is just comforting .

Although molecular data show that the origin of extraterrestrial crabs is 130 million years old, no evidence of their existence has been found for more than 75 million years. Since this fossil is found as a freshwater crab, the history of this group can be traced back to about 25 million years ago.

This invention represents a new category, which the team named Cretapsara. “Creta” to refer to the Cretaceous period, “Apsara” to awaken the “spirit of clouds and water” in Southeast Asian mythology, and to pay homage to local culture and heritage. Hence the full name c. അഥാനത (Thank you).

Luke and colleagues analyzed it under a standard microscope and X-ray microtography. They then clearly identified the eight legs of the animal, including the eyes, antennae, pins, parts of the mouth, thin fur, and one detached from the body. “Like a time capsule, ‘maybe because the crab struggles to free itself from the resin of the wood it was swallowing,” says Luke.

Understand the evolution of crabs and similar creatures

Despite the small size of this specimen (total width of 2 mm), it is a minor, but it has several points in common with existing crabs. ” He has this shell [coquille supérieure] Body rounded, highly developed, with large eyes and a short tail. , He explains. ” All of these features are modern .

However, in Luke’s opinion, this species has some distinct differences that relate to its primitive origin, including the deeper depths of the shell, as opposed to the smooth tops of today’s crabs. The breast is much narrower than that of a modern crab, much like the shrimp or lobster. ” This is not a missing link, but a distant relative of the current crabs , He explains.

Crab droppings indicate that it lived mainly in water, and unlike current land crabs, air pockets, such as lungs, share the body space of crabs. ” This is really confusing and exciting “Luke says.” How does an animal in a forest get into the sap of a tree? It feeds the thought .

⁇ The credible explanation is that when the crab was trapped, it was on a short land voyage between two lakes. Explain Luke. ⁇ However, her misfortune found a ‘precious’ scientific treasure: resin dissolves quickly in water – ‘like a super glue’, so it never creates fossils.. It’s sad for the animal, but it’s the only chance to know it exists .

The research of Luke and his colleagues is to understand how some ancient species evolved into crabs and how their evolution and diversification over time into the modern forms we see today. ” Each fossil we find challenges our preconceptions about when and where many species originated, which often leads us to go further back in time.s ”, Luke concludes.

Sources: Scientific progress & Harvard University