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Astonishing spider fossil discovered in Myanmar

 
 
 
 
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100-million-year-old fossilized spider attack

Scientists have discovered a rare fossil of a spider, featuring the animal hunting a wasp during the dinosaur age.

The finding as the first fossil ever discovered of a spider attack, was found in the Hukawng Valley of Myanmar and dates back to Early Cretaceous period between 97 to 110 million years ago.

Researchers suggest that both the attacking spider and the insect met their demise when they were trapped in a natural liquid preserver.

“This juvenile spider was going to make a meal out of a tiny parasitic wasp, but never quite got to it,” explained the professor emeritus of zoology at Oregon State University George Poinar, Jr.

“This was the wasp’s worst nightmare, and it never ended. The wasp was watching the spider just as it was about to be attacked, when tree resin (Amber) flowed over and captured both of them,” he added.

Amber is a natural preservative that comes from resin, a substance that oozes from trees. When it solidifies, it turns into a yellow orange crystal and the sticky substance preserves whatever gets caught in it.

The discovered fossil is considered as a groundbreaking finding as it belongs to the Cretaceous age that follows the Jurassic period.

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