The fossil of a water bear, commonly known as a tardigrade, has been discovered encased within a fragment of 16-million-year-old Dominican amber. The discovery of the creature was made public months after researchers from the New Jersey Institute of Technology and Harvard University began investigating it.
According to reports, the fossil, dubbed Paradoryphoribius chronocaribbeus, was discovered in the Dominican Republic’s La Cumbre, a region noted for its abundant amber deposits.
16-million-year-old tardigrade found preserved in amber https://t.co/DKdnXJdYQw pic.twitter.com/7Fn5KjaAYl
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Tardigrades, often known as water bears and moss piglets, are small creatures known for their tenacity. Their resilience enables them to withstand dehydration, freezing temperatures and even harmful radiation. Furthermore, as per reports, they are the smallest known animals with legs and can walk like creatures 5,00,000 times their size. These animals are thought to have evolved 500 million years ago and have survived at least five catastrophic extinctions, including the one that wiped off the dinosaurs.
Experts say the fossilised tardigrade was discovered after months of monitoring. Millions of years ago, the creature was caught within amber, a fossilised tree resin that also captured bits from a flower, three ants and a beetle. The study’s senior author, Phil Barden, described the discovery as ‘once in a generation’ in the science journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. This tardigrade fossil is the first to be discovered from the post-dinosaur era, which began 66 million years ago and is also known as the Cenozoic era. Furthermore, this is the third time these animals have been discovered in the fossil record.
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Scientists claim to have gotten their hands on the best-looking fossil yet, with internal organs, mouthparts, and needle-like claws visible in great detail. Marc Mapalo, the primary author of the study said that this new research will help them better understand the evolutionary changes tardigrades have undergone over millions of years.
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