The ostracods look like nothing more than seeds with legs. But some species of these little crustaceans have giant sperm . In the most extreme case, it can even stretch 1.18 centimeters, more than three times the length of an adult individual.
Now, a new collection of ostracods preserved in amber has revealed that this megasperma dates back to the less makes about 100 million years ago during the time of the dinosaurs, according to a study published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. This is the oldest fossilized sperm ever found.
A single piece of Myanmar amber contained 39 ostracods, including many of a newly discovered species, Myanmarcypris hui . Using micro-CT scans, the researchers looked inside some of the small shell animals.
“We knew from looking at the piece of amber with an ordinary light microscope that there were antennae and legs protruding from the shell, so we were hoping to find internal organs. But what we saw … exceeded expectations, “the experts explain.
It is rare to find preserved ancient sperm, as soft tissues are often broken down .
This new find rivals the age of fossilized sperm found in crickets from the Cretaceous period. But scientists argue that the newly discovered ostracod sperm is “the oldest unequivocal fossil animal sperm.”
Referencia: Exceptional preservation of reproductive organs and giant sperm in Cretaceous ostracods He Wang , Renate Matzke-Karasz , David J. Horne , Xiangdong Zhao , Meizhen Cao, Haichun Zhang and Bo Wang Published:16 September 2020 https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2020.1661
