Scientists have found the oldest aquatic animal preserved in amber — and it's the most complete crab fossil ever discovered.
Sign up for CNN's Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. Fossils trapped in amber have been among paleontology's most fascinating finds in recent years -- globs of hardened ancient tree resin have captured tantalizing details about spiders, lizards, microscopic animals, insects, birds and even a tiny dinosaur that are often missing from fossils found in rock.
However, all these creatures were land lubbers that you might expect to encounter on a tree trunk or branch. Now, scientists have found the oldest aquatic animal preserved in amber -- and it's the most complete crab fossil ever discovered. 'Blood amber' may be a portal into dinosaur times, but the fossils are an ethical minefield for palaeontologists "The specimen is spectacular, it is one of a kind.