Summary
A piece of amber from the Dominican Republic contained approximately 50 strands of mammalian hair. Based on its characteristics and the identification of two species of fossilized ectoparasites that were also present, it is probable that the hair belonged to a rodent. This find represents the earliest fossil remains of land mammals in the Antilles and lends support to the vicariance model of West Indian biogeography.
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References
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Poinar, G.O. Hair in Dominican amber: Evidence for tertiary land mammals in the Antilles. Experientia 44, 88–89 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01960261
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01960261