When archaeologists reported the discovery of the remains of any animal, it is usually a question about the fossil bones. However, the researchers also detected the bodies of ancient insects, and often they are inside of amber. This news is a rare exception, as a team of scientists from the University of Kansas found a petrified body of an ancient spider, which apparently 110 million years ago, sank under the water. Unusual death helped him to save the ability of his eyes to the present day.
It is their ability to reflect light, which helped the predator to hunt in the dark. He was treated to the sight of Lagonomegopidae, and in his huge eyes was choroid called the tapetum lucidum. Reflecting the light, she helped the spider to see the booty — the same feature, by the way, have the usual domestic cat.
The fossil was found in South Korea, namely in the city of Jinju. The research team believes that the ability of the eye to reflect light preserved because of the special storage conditions of the body. If the spider was stored in amber, the tapetum of his eyes would be destroyed by a variety of bacteria. Most likely, the spider simply got tangled in the weeds and drowned in the pond. Due to the lack of oxygen he turned into a fossil, which is so well preserved.
Some fossils force scientists to think seriously. For example, in 2018, researchers from universities in different countries are unable to identify the remains of a mysterious creature by the age of 1.5 billion years. It belongs to a little studied group of animals called Chancelloriidae, however, scientists have no idea in what branch of the tree of life to enter.
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