Searching for the world's oldest lobster fossil? Head to Mexico where scientists claim they have one some 120 million years old, 20 million years older than lobster fossils previously found.

The fossil is 4.7 inches (12 cm) long and its shell and legs are immaculately preserved by the mud in the southern state of Chiapas where it was found.

"This lobster that we found in Chiapas belongs to the genus
that is in Africa today," said geologist Francisco Javier Vega of the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

"This isn't a surprise because at that time, 120 million years ago, Africa and America were relatively close," he told Reuters. "It's very likely that this genus of lobster originated here."

South America and Africa are believed to have split into two continents around 120 million years ago.

The juvenile "Palinurus palaceosi" fossil was dug up in 1995 and is one of the best preserved lobster fossils in the world. It is the first found in the Americas, Vega said.

"Practically 90 percent of this specimen's body has been preserved. It was buried in this microscopic mud (and) has very fine morphological details," he said.

After a decade of work, Vega and his team established the fossil's age in 2005 but only published their findings in November 2006 and began publicizing them recently.

Xinhuanet- May 25, 2007