It sounds like it came straight out of the plot of "Jurassic Park." A lizard preserved in amber that experts reportedly estimate to be at least 23 million years old has been found in Chiapas, Mexico. While no one will be cloning dinosaurs from this, scientists are excited by this rare find.
The lizard is a newly discovered species belonging to the genus Anolis, MSNnews.com reports. Anoles, as members of the genus Anolis are known, are common in the warmer parts of the Americas, and some species have limited color-change capability, Britannica.com states.
While finding plant matter or small animals such as insects preserved in amber is relatively common, finding a complete vertebrate, even one as small as this anole which only measures 1.8 inches by .5 inches, is very unusual, especially with soft tissue preserved, according to Foxnews.com,.
However, this is not the first complete vertebrate found in Chiapas. A complete tree frog was also unearthed in 2007, and is the same relative age as the anole, estimated to be 25 million years old, NBCnews.com reports.
One of the reasons fossils of this type are comparatively rare is due to the specific environmental conditions that are required for amber to be created. First, a tree that secretes resin must be damaged. This was often the result of weather conditions such as storms, or being fed upon by insects. The hardened resin then needs to end up in a protected environment, such as being buried in sediment like sand or clay, as the ultraviolet radiation in sunlight will cause it to deteriorate, according to fossilmuseum.net.
Heat and pressure are required to eventually convert the resin into amber and it is usually found where prehistoric bodies of water used to exist, according to the Proctor Museum of Natural Science in Houston, Texas.
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