Scientists working at the Las Hoyas Quarry in central Spain have unearthed an unusual fossilized specimen. Almost always fossil remains consist of only bones or skeletons, but in this case, the small ancient rodent, somewhere between the size of a mouse and a rat, much of the animal was perfectly preserved, including skin, fur, and internal organs.
An amazing article on the BBC website gets into the details:
The creature, called Spinolestes xenarthrosus, was unearthed in Las Hoyas Quarry in central Spain.
Study co-author Dr Zhe-Xi Luo, from the University of Chicago, US, said: “Spinolestes is a spectacular find.
“It is stunning to see almost perfectly preserved skin and hair structures fossilized in microscopic detail in such an old fossil.
“This Cretaceous furball displays the entire structural diversity of modern mammalian skin and hairs.”
The specimen’s liver, lung and diaphragm tissues were found intact, as well as fur, spines and scales.It had big ears and a pointy face, with a short mane and a soft fuzzy belly. It was most likely ground dwelling and ate insects.
“It is cute, very cute,” said Prof Martin. “It looked like a modern spiny mouse, which is also quite cute.”
The highly informative article on the BBC website has more details on this incredible, cute find.
Source: BBC.com – “‘Cute ancient furball’ fossil unearthed“
Feature Image Credit: Oscar Sanisidro