Oldest genitals found

The discovery of the world's oldest genitals proves that little has changed over the last 400 million years - at least for daddy-long-legs.

Fossils of harvestmen arachnids (Opiliones) have been found by palaeontologists in an ancient rock at Rhynie near Aberdeen in Scotland. Preserved within a male is a penis two-thirds the length of his body, and on a female there is a long egg-laying organ known as an ovipositor.

The organs are remarkably similar to those in modern-day species of harvestmen. Dubbed daddy-long-legs along with crane flies, harvestmen are not formally classified as spiders because they do not spin webs. . .

As well as genitals, the fossils have the oldest known arachnid respiratory system, suggesting harvestmen's ancestors had long since crawled out of the sea and learned to breathe. Today's harvestmen also possess a very similar pair of large, branching trachea.

Posted by David on September 20, 2003 12:31 PM