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

Source:

Ghose T. Stunningly Preserved 165-Million-Year-Old Spider Fossil Found. Wired [Internet]. Wired Science. 2010 Feb 9 [cited 2010 Feb 10]. Available from: http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/02/spider-fossil/

A fossilized spider was found by scientist recently in china. The fossil dates back to the Jurassic era which is 165 million years ago. The preservation of the spider is very detailed. Many structures are in tact. The fossil was found in an area in china that also contains many fossilized salamanders, small primitive mammals, crustaceans, and insects. Spider fossils are rare because their soft bodies are nto ideal candidates for preservation. However, this spider fossil was probably trapped in volcanic ash, which helped the whole organism become preserved with a large amount of detail. The volcanic ash is composed of a fine clay which covered the spider without smashing it to pieces like other sediements. The spider has evolved so little. Modern equivalents look very similar. It is speculated that the spider was widespread in prehistoric times, but became wiped out in the ice age. They managed to survive in dry arid areas of the southwest.