A
confluence of unlikely events led to the exquisite preservation of the
oldest fossil of a primitive pregnant horse ever discovered.
Some 48 million years ago, an equoid mare (Eurohippus messelensis) and her almost fully gestated fetus fell into an ancient lake in the area of Grube Messel near Frankfurt, Germany. The lake had just the right mix of bacteria to preserve even soft tissue from the mare’s uterus and placenta. She lay at the bottom of the lake — uneaten by predators — until discovered in 2000.
The unusually detailed fossil, which dates from the Eocene epoch, provides a window into the evolution of modern placental reproductive systems, researchers report October 7 in PLOS ONE.
Some 48 million years ago, an equoid mare (Eurohippus messelensis) and her almost fully gestated fetus fell into an ancient lake in the area of Grube Messel near Frankfurt, Germany. The lake had just the right mix of bacteria to preserve even soft tissue from the mare’s uterus and placenta. She lay at the bottom of the lake — uneaten by predators — until discovered in 2000.
The unusually detailed fossil, which dates from the Eocene epoch, provides a window into the evolution of modern placental reproductive systems, researchers report October 7 in PLOS ONE.
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