A 113-million-year-old fossilized hell ant from Brazil has provided significant insights into the evolutionary history of ants, revealing their ancient origins and global dominance.
A 113-million-year-old fossilized hell ant from Brazil has provided significant insights into the evolutionary history of ants. The discovery sheds light on how these tiny creatures took over the world.
The oldest undisputed ant fossil ever discovered, this find is a remarkable addition to our understanding of ant evolution. Dating back over 110 million years, it suggests that the first ants emerged in the southern hemisphere before spreading across the globe.
Ants have been on Earth for over 100 million years, with fossil records showing that they existed during the Cretaceous period.
These ancient ants were likely small and primitive compared to modern species.
Over time, ants evolved into different castes, including workers, soldiers, and queens.
Today, there are over 12,000 known ant species, ranging in size from 0.1 mm to 2 cm in length.
Ants have adapted to various environments, from deserts to rainforests, and play a crucial role in ecosystems as both predators and prey.
According to Anderson Lepeco, a researcher at the University of São Paulo in Brazil, ‘We have evidence they were in South America, they were in Gondwana, during their early evolution.‘ This finding supports the theory that ants originated on the supercontinent of Gondwana, which eventually broke apart and formed the modern continents.
The significance of this discovery lies in its ability to provide a window into the past. By studying ancient fossils like this one, scientists can reconstruct the evolutionary history of species and gain a deeper understanding of how they adapted to their environments over time.
Fossils are the preserved remains of ancient plants and animals, providing a window into Earth's history.
They can be found in sedimentary rocks, often in areas where tectonic plates have shifted or volcanoes have erupted.
The process of fossilization involves rapid burial, protection from scavengers, and mineral replacement over time.
Scientists use fossils to reconstruct ecosystems, track evolutionary changes, and understand past climates.
- newscientist.com | Oldest ant fossil ever found shows how ants took over the world
