Dead snails stuck in amber 99 million years

The group of scientists discovered the fossil snail 0.5cm long, the oldest specimen to date has preserved the soft body.

Scientists found a shallow snail with its head, body, legs, eyes and shell in the piece of amber from the period of dinosaurs in northern Myanmar, National Geographic reported on October 11. The specimen is only about 0.5cm long. It was purchased from a 2016 fossil collector with another snail's shell in a poorly preserved condition.

The oldest snail fossil contains a soft body.(Photo: Lida Xing).

Most snail fossils only store shells. However, the newly discovered case is the oldest sample with soft tissue preserved in amber. The study was led by explorer Lida Xing from China Geological University. They also found young birds, rainforest frogs, baby snakes, even dinosaur tails with feathers in amber in Myanmar.

"Snails trapped in very rare amber, not to mention this special snail model also contains soft parts. Ancient resin has impressive preservation capabilities, keeping the smallest details of millions of fossils. The year in 3D is perfect, so good that they look just like yesterday, " said Jeffrey Stilwell of Monash University, co-author.

3D image of the snail fossil.(Photo: Lida Xing).

Soft snails with soft tissue are sometimes found in amber in other locations. However, the new specimen far exceeded the previous record at least 70 million years. It provides new and important data on the high biodiversity of tropical forests in the Cretaceous period.

Snails in amber can be related to cyclophoridae snails living in today's tropical and subtropical environments. Their surname is famous for its hard-shelled lid, which acts as a cover or door when the screws snuggle into the shell. However, this specimen is very small and immature, making it difficult to accurately identify the species name.

The team hypothesized that specimens formed when snails fell into sap. The shell is quickly covered by this thick and sticky substance, making it impossible for the animal to get inside. Perhaps he tried to stretch the soft body forward to escape, but was completely covered with sap.

George Poinar, paleontologist at Oregon State University, made another theory. He said that the swollen soft body of the snail showed, it may have been attacked, torn by the predator, accidentally dropped it on the sap and left.