Author Topic: Stunningly Preserved 165-Million-Year-Old Spider Fossil Found (Read 3826 times)

SonnenKinder · « **on:** February 17, 2010, 05:13:46 PM »

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.

E. gertschi shows all the features of the modern members of the family, found in North America, suggesting it has evolved very little since the Jurassic period, Selden said. “The scimitar-shaped structure you notice out of the male is so distinctive,” he said. “Looking at modern ones, you think, well, it’s just a dead ringer.”

The findings also suggest this family of spiders, the Plectreuridae, was once much more widespread than it is today. Currently, the family has only been found living in California, Arizona, Mexico and Cuba. Yet 165 million years ago, they lived on a small continent called the North China Block.

“At some point something caused their range to contract to this part of southern North America,” Selden said. He speculates that changes in vegetation during an ice age or other climactic event wiped them out in other areas, “but they were still happy in these arid areas of the Southwest.”

Punjabi Janta Forums - Janta Di Pasand · « **on:** February 17, 2010, 05:13:46 PM »

Deleted User · « **Reply #1 on:** February 17, 2010, 05:57:33 PM »

hehe nyc

SonnenKinder · « **Reply #2 on:** February 17, 2010, 06:11:45 PM »

Quote from: ..●•∙ ♥ღ♥ tคℓℓvคя кคuя ♥ ღ♥ ..●•∙ on February 17, 2010, 05:57:33 PM

hehe nyc

its awesome

Deleted User · « **Reply #3 on:** February 17, 2010, 06:22:50 PM »

yehhh eda lagda jida 1st pic ch bhootni nd 2nd ch per latt smhtg kj aa

SonnenKinder · « **Reply #4 on:** February 17, 2010, 06:28:04 PM »

Quote from: ..●•∙ ♥ღ♥ tคℓℓvคя кคuя ♥ ღ♥ ..●•∙ on February 17, 2010, 06:22:50 PM

yehhh eda lagda jida 1st pic ch bhootni nd 2nd ch per latt smhtg kj aa

oi ena hi samj lagia tuanu

:

_noXiouS_ · « **Reply #5 on:** February 17, 2010, 06:30:30 PM »

_noXiouS_ · « **Reply #6 on:** February 17, 2010, 06:32:50 PM »

that's one huge spider, preserved pretty well actually...so, did they figure out, if it's venomous yet?

SonnenKinder · « **Reply #7 on:** February 17, 2010, 06:37:43 PM »

Quote from: _noXiouS_ on February 17, 2010, 06:32:50 PM

that's one huge spider, preserved pretty well actually...so, did they figure out, if it's venomous yet?

this fossil was discovered just a couple of days earlier. So nothing is much known as yet.

Deleted User · « **Reply #8 on:** February 17, 2010, 06:43:03 PM »

haha me nai read kita jst pic ekh ke dasea aa

SonnenKinder · « **Reply #9 on:** February 17, 2010, 06:44:22 PM »

Quote from: ..●•∙ ♥ღ♥ tคℓℓvคя кคuя ♥ ღ♥ ..●•∙ on February 17, 2010, 06:43:03 PM

haha me nai read kita jst pic ekh ke dasea aa

ohkay :thaa:

Deleted User · « **Reply #10 on:** February 17, 2010, 06:45:48 PM »

:angr: :angr: kuth kahni tuci

SonnenKinder · « **Reply #11 on:** February 17, 2010, 06:47:29 PM »

Quote from: ..●•∙ ♥ღ♥ tคℓℓvคя кคuя ♥ ღ♥ ..●•∙ on February 17, 2010, 06:45:48 PM

:angr: :angr: kuth kahni tuci

tallvar naal? rusted hagi tuadi tallvar

_noXiouS_ · « **Reply #12 on:** February 17, 2010, 06:47:42 PM »

Quote from: SonnenKinder on February 17, 2010, 06:37:43 PM

this fossil was discovered just a couple of days earlier. So nothing is much known as yet.

sheeeeeeeeeesh can they work any harder.

Deleted User · « **Reply #13 on:** February 17, 2010, 06:54:50 PM »

nah thude lai

Quote from: SonnenKinder on February 17, 2010, 06:47:29 PM

tallvar naal? rusted hagi tuadi tallvar

mera hath hi kafi aa :blink: :blink:

SonnenKinder · « **Reply #14 on:** February 17, 2010, 06:58:51 PM »

Quote from: ..●•∙ ♥ღ♥ tคℓℓvคя кคuя ♥ ღ♥ ..●•∙ on February 17, 2010, 06:54:50 PM

nah thude lai mera hath hi kafi aa :blink: :blink:

bones da power ban jana /:)

Deleted User · « **Reply #15 on:** February 17, 2010, 07:07:34 PM »

kiiiii keha me samji nai /:) /:) /:)

SonnenKinder · « **Reply #16 on:** February 17, 2010, 07:11:29 PM »

Quote from: ..●•∙ ♥ღ♥ tคℓℓvคя кคuя ♥ ღ♥ ..●•∙ on February 17, 2010, 07:07:34 PM

kiiiii keha me samji nai /:) /:) /:)

ja tusi manu hath nal kutea ta tuada hath da bones da powder ban jana

Deleted User · « **Reply #17 on:** February 17, 2010, 07:19:47 PM »

hahahhahaah nah nah am strong kuri
mundea me desi kuri aa :blah: :blah: :blah: tenu ta ek hath naal chuk do :blah: :blah: :blah: :blah: :blah: :blah: :blah: :blah: :blah: :blah: :blah:

SonnenKinder · « **Reply #18 on:** February 17, 2010, 07:38:04 PM »

Quote from: ..●•∙ ♥ღ♥ tคℓℓvคя кคuя ♥ ღ♥ ..●•∙ on February 17, 2010, 07:19:47 PM

hahahhahaah nah nah am strong kuri
mundea me desi kuri aa :blah: :blah: :blah: tenu ta ek hath naal chuk do :blah: :blah: :blah: :blah: :blah: :blah: :blah: :blah: :blah: :blah: :blah:

: kana vada illusion haga

_Beast_ · « **Reply #19 on:** February 18, 2010, 09:40:07 PM »

Quote from: _noXiouS_ on February 17, 2010, 06:32:50 PM

that's one huge spider, preserved pretty well actually...so, did they figure out, if it's venomous yet?

kamlo using every emotion humanly possible :happy:

Author Topic: Stunningly Preserved 165-Million-Year-Old Spider Fossil Found (Read 3826 times)

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