The fossil of an ancient cousin to the daddy longlegs was discovered by scientists in Burma.
The 99-million-year-old arachnid was found fully fossilized in amber.
The male harvestman, species name Halitherses grimaldii, was just blossoming into manhood when it died. Its penis, which had grown to nearly half its body length, was erect at its death.
“It must have been in an amorous state to have it out like this,” Ron Clouse of the American Museum of Natural History, who wasn’t involved with the study, told National Geographic. “This poor animal.”
Jason Dunlop, Paul Selden, Gonzalo Giribet
