Researchers have now announced the detection of one of the world's oldest recognized chameleon specimen, which has been potted in amber for approximately 100 million years. The fresh find could help us improved understand how chameleons evolve to be one of the strangest lizards in the new world.
The fossil's legend starts roughly 99 million years ago when an unlucky chameleon was scurrying through the branches of a very old tree in modern day Myanmar. During its scale, the small lizard accidentally get itself stuck in resin, which forms on the external layers of trees and usually drips onto unsuspecting insects and additional creatures.This resin eventually hard-bitten and fossilised into amber - the same material that let scientists in Jurassic Park bring reverse the dinosaurs. Then, it remained hidden from view awaiting a few decades before when researchers from the University of Florida dug it out, and at the present they’ve lastly had the chance to analyse the specimen.
Besides shattering the preceding record, the specimen, which is single of 13 lizard fossils analysed by the team, could create a vast difference to researchers who are annoying to understand how reptiles evolved.
These fossils tell us a lot concerning the extraordinary, but before unknown diversity of lizards in very old tropical forests," supposed one of the team, Edward Stanley. "The fossil evidence is sparse since the fragile skin and fragile bones of small lizards do not typically preserve, particularly in the tropics, which makes the fresh amber fossils an incredibly rare and single window into a critical age of diversification."
To ascertain all of this in order from the fossils, the team use micro-CT scanners, which allowable them to piece jointly the specimen inside the amber without need to physically split it apart.
So far, the discover has challenged the previously held idea that chameleons opening evolved in Africa. With further learn, the team hopes to get a additional complete appear at how chameleons - one of the world's strangest lizards - evolve to have the traits we all connect them with. For example, the specimen has the same language as modern chameleons without the sole toes and body figure that they’re recognized for.
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