A 113-million-year-old fossil of a “hell ant” has been found in storage in Brazil, pushing back the known age of ants by 14 million years. The newly discovered Vulcanidris cratensis is one of several extinct “hell ant” species characterized by their demonic-looking jaws. Its discovery provides evidence of ants’ presence in South America during the Cretaceous period, extending the known record on the continent by over 60 million years.
Researchers at Brazil’s University of São Paulo found the fossilized remains hidden away in a museum storage room. The find was confirmed after comparing it to other ant fossils from France and Myanmar, which date back 99 million years. Micro-computed tomography revealed impressive scythe-like jaws on the new specimen, providing insight into the evolution of ants.
Hell ants are believed to have used their unique jaw structure to pin or impale prey. The discovery sheds light on a period when ants were not present in fossil records, sparking debate about whether they were absent from Earth’s surface or simply not preserved in suitable deposits. This ancient ant, with some wasp-like characteristics, offers a glimpse into the evolution of ants before the mass extinction event that wiped out dinosaurs 66 million years ago.
Source: https://www.newser.com/story/367725/hell-ant-is-oldest-ever-found-by-millions-of-years.html