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https://theconversation.com/a-trilobite-pompeii-perfectly-preserved-fossils-of-ancient-sea-critters-found-buried-in-volcanic-ash-233230>
"If you’ve ever visited the fossil gallery of a natural history museum — or its
gift shop, for that matter — you’ve probably seen the armoured body remains (or
exoskeletons) of an extinct group of animals called trilobites. These ancient
marine arthropods lived in the world’s oceans from 521 million to 252 million
years ago.
We know a great deal about the diversity, lifestyles and evolution of these
iconic invertebrate fossils. More than 22,000 species of trilobite have been
named.
This is largely because the trilobite exoskeleton was made of a mineral called
calcite, which fossilised very easily. However, fossils showing soft body parts
of these creatures, such as the antennae and walking legs, are far rarer. Even
when these features have been found, they may be obscured by flattening or
partly hidden by sediment.
In a new study, published today in
Science, we document a remarkable
discovery of Moroccan trilobites preserved in volcanic ash, representing the
most anatomically complete examples ever found. These new specimens not only
preserve the antennae and walking legs, but also mouth structures and even the
entire digestive system in three dimensions."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
