The Caribbean territories have hosted a great mystery for thousands of years and now scientists are being offered the chance to discover more about the area. The Caribbean Sea is a true inspiration both for tourists and some Hollywood directors who have imagined a commercially acclaimed motion picture. Pirates of the Caribbean is already history, one that made way for another fascinating story to unfold. The Salamander trapped in Amber discovered in the Caribbean is the new story worth sharing.
The new specimen reveals that salamanders used to live in the remote islands of the Caribbean, which is surprising, as today the species is nowhere to be found in the region.
According to the initial research analysis, the new species used to live in the Dominican Republic, 20 million years ago. The new discovery is basically the first salamander fossil ever to be found trapped and frozen in amber for millions of years and it belongs to a never-before seen and presently extinct species.
Its story is quite a sad one, as the baby salamander got into a trouble of a certain kind and had one of its legs bitten off, to ultimately become stuck for eternity in a resin deposit. Well, not everything was in vain, as it is the first discovered exhibit of its kind and the proof that once, in a faraway land, little salamanders such as this one, existed and lived happy lives together. Posterity needs sacrifice, and this is the first thing we can learn from the tiny creature.
It is now fairly clear that salamanders once existed in the Caribbean but it is still a mystery as to why they all went extinct. Scientists suggest that they could have been killed by a climatic event or they were vulnerable to some kind of predator.
The fossil salamander belonged to the Plethodontiae family, a widespread family that can still be found today in North America, in the Appalachian Mountains. However, unlike the lizards we can find today, the salamander species recently discovered didn’t have distinct toes on their back and front legs but instead had webbed feet, with tiny bumps over them. This could hold proof that the species may not have been a good climber like modern species are, experts note.
Although the finding is extremely fascinating, some mysteries still have to be unveiled. Scientists must find out why the salamanders disappeared from the territories of the Caribbean sea and how is it that they arrived on the island to begin with.
Image Source: natureworldnews.com
