Oldest tick

In April 1999, a team of American scientists unearthed a 90-million-year-old tick which had been preserved in amber. This blood-sucking parasite from the Cretaceous period was found in a vacant lot in New Jersey. Named Carlos jerseyi, the tiny insect has unusual hairs on its back, which may have been used to detect vibrations. It is a logical conclusion that many dinosaurs carried parasitic ticks, just like today's animals. Around 35 kg (80 lb) of amber have been extracted from the site in New Jersey, which was discovered in the mid 1990s by a fossil hunter. The harvest of amber has also yielded other important discoveries such as the oldest mushroom and the oldest ants.