Exclusive: Stunning snail found in dinosaur-era amber

A record-setting fossil from Myanmar reveals the detailed anatomy of ancient snails' soft tissues.

The head, foot, and eye stalk of a tiny land snail were recently found fossilized in a piece of 99-million-year-old amber. Though the specimen measures less than 0.2 inches across, it offers incredible visibility into the lives of these inconspicuous creatures from the time of the dinosaurs.

The snail was contained in a small chunk of amber from northern Myanmar, also known as Burma. It was purchased from a private fossil collector in 2016 and includes the shell of a second, less well-preserved snail.

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