In a once-in-a-lifetime discovery, scientists uncovered a fossilized ammonite—a marine animal—encased in Burmese amber, dating back 100 million years. But how did an ancient sea creature end up in fossilized tree sap?
The study reveals that the ammonite was likely already dead, its shell washed ashore, where sticky tree resin from coastal forests entombed it. The amber also preserved terrestrial creatures like spiders and mites. This rare combination provides a glimpse into a dynamic ancient environment where land and sea met.
The fossil, along with marine gastropods and other intertidal species, suggests that the resin-producing trees grew near the coast, capturing remnants of both ecosystems. What’s even more fascinating is the amber’s unique ability to preserve not just land-dwelling organisms, but also marine life—a rarity in the fossil record.
This find sheds light on how resin from trees could fall onto beach-dwelling organisms, trapping them in amber and preserving them through millennia. The ammonite, identified as a juvenile Puzosia (Bhimaites), is believed to have washed ashore before being engulfed by resin. The fossil’s preservation in amber, along with its accompanying marine and terrestrial life, offers fresh insight into the diversity and complexity of Cretaceous ecosystems.
Source: www.pnas.org
