the messel pit provides the best preserved evidence of early eocene flora and fauna so far discovered. most other sites are lucky to contain partial skeletons, but messel boasts extensive preservation of structural integrity, even going so far as to preserve the fur, feathers, and "skin shadows" of some species. unusual preservation has sparked some closely-reasoned interpretations. the symptomatic "dumb-bell"-shaped bite marks on either side of the leaf vein on a fossilised leaf have been identified as the death-grip of a carpenter ant terminally parasitized by a fungus that, apparently then as today, took over its behaviour to release its spores at a good location; it is the earliest clear example of fungal behavioural manipulation.