Ancient Ant Specimen's Unusual Mandibles Used to Retain Prey, According to Scientific Studies
A Peek into the Ferocious Past of 'Hell Ants': Predatory Adaptations during the Cretaceous Period
Think about terrifying predators, and images of big, toothy creatures like tigers or sharks may pop up. However, 100 million years ago, a minuscule yet remarkably fearsome predator with scythe-like jaws was terrorizing its prey.
While exploring a vast collection of fossil insects at the Museum of Zoology in the University of São Paulo, researchers in Brazil stumbled upon a 113-million-year-old fossil that represented a unique ant species, believed to be the oldest ant ever discovered by science. This fossilized ant, fittingly named Vulcanidris cratensis, belonged to the extinct ant subfamily Haidomyrmecinae. Labeled as "hell ants," these ants were notorious during the Cretaceous period (145 million to 66 million years ago) for their brutal and highly specialized jaws.
As Anderson Lepeco, a researcher from the Museum of Zoology at the University of São Paulo, noted in a statement from Cell Press, "We've unearthed a new fossil ant species, representing the first undisputed geological record of ants." This find was particularly intriguing to experts since it belonged to the notorious "hell ant" category, famous for their unusual predatory adaptations.
In a study detailing the discovery, published Thursday in the journal Current Biology, Lepeco and his team studied the hell ant, preserved in limestone, using micro-computed tomography. This advanced imaging technique revealed the insides of objects, providing insights into the ant's impressive mandibles (mouth parts). Unlike modern ants whose mandibles move sideways, this ant had mandibles that poked forward, parallel to the head, likely used to pin down prey.
"This discovery challenges our assumptions about how quickly these insects developed complex adaptations," Lepeco clarified. "The anatomical intricacies of this ancient ant suggest that even these earliest ants had already evolved sophisticated predatory strategies significantly different from their modern counterparts."
Further analysis revealed that the specimen was closely related to other previously found hell ant species preserved in amber in Myanmar. Since Vulcanidris cratensis came from the Crato Formation - a fossil hotspot in northeastern Brazil - this indicates that Haidomyrmecinae ants had spread across the globe as early as 113 million years ago.
"When I laid eyes on this exceptional specimen, we immediately recognized its importance, not just as a new species but as potentially definitive evidence of ants in the Crato Formation," Lepeco added. "This finding highlights the significance of thorough examination of existing collections and the importance of Brazilian paleontology and the underserved fossil insect fauna of the nation."
This study sheds light on the early evolution of ants, revealing that they had diversified and expanded across the world 113 million years ago. This knowledge further emphasizes the incredible success of ants, one of the most dominant insect species on Earth.
- The discovery of Vulcanidris cratensis, a 113-million-year-old fossil ant from the extinct ant subfamily Haidomyrmecinae, commonly known as 'hell ants', challenges our assumptions about how quickly complex adaptations developed in the realm of science.
- The predatory strategies of these ancient ants, such as their mandibles that poked forward and were used to pin down prey, were significantly different from modern ants, demonstrating the complexity of technology even in the earliest forms of these insects.
- As scientists continue to explore and uncover fossils, they provide valuable insights into the evolution of various species, including ants, and highlight the importance of environmental-science in understanding our planet's history.
- This research in space-and-astronomy and technology allows us to peer back in time and appreciate the intriguing adaptations of creatures that roamed the Earth millions of years ago, such as the ferocious hell ants that terrorized their prey during the Cretaceous period.
