120 million years old

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.