125-million-year-old mammal fossil reveals the early evolution of hair and spines
Wednesday, October 14, 2015 - 13:50
in Paleontology & Archaeology
Discovered in Spain, the fossil of the newly described, 125-million-year old Spinolestes xenarthrosus is remarkably well-preserved, containing fur, hair follicles, hedgehog-like spines, organs and even a fungal skin infection. It pushes back the record of preserved mammalian hair and soft tissue by more than 60 million years.