Scientists have discovered a fossil of a tardigrade unknown to science
American paleontologists studied in detail a piece of amber, in which the remains of ancient ants were previously found, and noticed a fossil of a tardigrade there. A description of an invertebrate aged 16 million years was published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
This is the third tardigrade fossil found in history. It was discovered by specialists from Harvard and the University of Technology of New Jersey in a fragment of Dominican amber, in which, a few months before, they examined three ants.
The specimen of the animal is well preserved, so scientists were able to examine its structure in detail. This made it possible to fully compare it with modern representatives of the species. The ancient tardigrade was attributed to the Isohypsibioidea family and named Paradoryphoribius chronocaribbeus.
Recall that in March 2021, Swedish scientists discovered four new species of tardigrades, one of which they named after the eco-activist Greta Thunberg. Scientists have found out why these animals are very resilient.
