10 minutes ago44-million-year-old caterpillar Discovered
Periskopi(7 years ago)
(7 years ago)Scientists say it is the first time that a fossil by a large species of butterflies has been discovered and preserved inside an ancient Balticmber. They described it as an extraordinary “discovery”. German researchers discovered a 44-million-year-old caterpillar, according to a paper published in Scientific Reports magazine. It is the first caterpillar [...]
German researchers discovered a 44-million-year-old caterpillar, according to a paper published in Scientific Reports magazine.
It is the first caterpillar of its kind to be discovered in the Baltic amber, according to researchers from the Bavarez State Zoo of Munich.
The 5m-long Larva has been baptized as Eogeometer pendens under the Geometry butterfly family, which includes some 23,000 different species, Kosova Prees broadcast.
Scientists said that the tiny larvae was likely trapped at a tree - resin point that eventually solidified into amber and preserved the worm's unique structure for millions of years.
Unlike most other species of butterflies, Geometridas have only two or three pairs of feet instead of five ordinary pairs. That means they move forward with an unusual walk by pushing their hind legs on their hind legs, then stretching out and repeating the action.
Researchers said the fossil will provide a mirror of evolutionary processes during the Eocene period (about 34-56 million years ago), when butterfly species were already well established.
