Scientists have unearthed a priceless find in the Charentes dig site in France. The spot is famous for Cretaceous fossils, and this one has had paleontologists brimming with excitement.

The find includes kilograms of fossilized amber rich in preserved animals from about a hundred million years ago. The animals found trapped within the opaque material include wasps, spiders, files, ants, and other small organisms.

All in all, 356 different species were found, and researchers in the University of Rennes have so far been able to classify them according to family. Scientists theorize that the trapped animals are mostly small because larger ones would have been able to struggle free from the sticky sap in its semi-liquid form.

The fossils are being studies with a special method that uses synchrotron X-rays. This allows researchers to view the insides of the amber without opening it up and damaging the fossils.

At times when even synchrotron X-rays are not enough to distinguish animals in the amber from cracks and other impurities, water is used to aid in viewing. The amber is usually immersed in liquid, and analysis is enhanced with more vivid shots.

"Opaque amber hosts many aspects of past life on our planet that are still unknown, and the use of third generation synchrotron sources will continue to play an important role in unveiling them," concludes Malvina Lak, one of the research team's leaders.