A tapeworm was discovered for the first time in 99 million-year-old amber (photo)

Paleontologists from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology (China) together with colleagues from Germany and Myanmar discovered a unique find - the fossil remains of a tapeworm preserved in amber 99 million years old.

This is the first case of finding a tapeworm fossil, which provides valuable information about the early evolution of these parasites, reports The journal Geology.

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The tapeworm was found in northern Myanmar. Its length is 9.81 mm and its width is 0.16 mm. According to a study published in the journal Geology, it is similar to modern cestodes from the Trypanorhyncha group, which parasitize fish and sharks.

Scientists believe that the worm became trapped in the resin when its host – probably a fish – washed ashore during a high tide or storm. Eventually, the resin solidified, preserving the parasite's tentacle for 100 million years.

This discovery is of great importance for understanding the evolution of tapeworms. Prior to this, the oldest known fossils of these parasites were eggs found in shark coprolite from the Permian period.

In addition to the tapeworm, trichomes of ferns, an insect larva and a grain of sand were also found in the amber. This indicates that the resin solidified on the shore of the reservoir.

We will remind you that archaeologists found a construction site from the time of Ancient Rome in Pompeii.

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