Discover the Stunning 16-Million-Year-Old Animal Preserved in Amber: A Caribbean Island Treasure!

Scientists recently uncovered a remarkable find: an ancient insect encased in 16-million-year-old amber from the Dominican Republic. This tiny insect is the first identified fossil of a dirt ant, a specific type of ant. Researchers named it Basiceros enana. Measuring just over 5 millimeters, it’s smaller than its closest living relatives, which can grow to 9 millimeters.

The study, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, confirms that these dirt ants once roamed the Caribbean islands but went extinct locally between 23 and 5.3 million years ago.

What are dirt ants, you may wonder? They belong to the Basiceros group, known for their outstanding camouflage. Their bodies are covered with tiny hairs that collect soil and leaf litter, helping them blend into their surroundings. This unique feature makes them tough for scientists and predators to spot in the wild.

Gianpiero Fiorentino, a co-author of the study and a Ph.D. candidate at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), expressed excitement over the discovery. "It’s like finding a diamond,” he said. “This fossil is distinct from all its modern relatives and changes how we view the evolutionary history of Basiceros."

Traditionally, dirt ants were thought to live only in Central and South America. Finding Basiceros enana in the Caribbean challenges this idea and suggests these ants thrived there before they disappeared, likely due to environmental changes during the Miocene epoch.

To examine the fossil, scientists used advanced imaging techniques like 3D reconstruction and micro-CT scanning. Phil Barden, a senior author and associate professor at NJIT, explained how amber captures entire organisms in three dimensions. This allows researchers to gather detailed information about even the smallest creatures.

Intriguingly, Basiceros enana already had the same camouflage features as modern dirt ants. These include long, brush-like hairs for picking up debris and shorter ones that help keep it close. This suggests that their disappearing act was well honed millions of years ago.

Despite their adaptations, these Caribbean dirt ants eventually vanished. Barden speculated that ancient land bridges may have allowed these ants to migrate from the mainland to the islands, but environmental shifts or competition with other species likely contributed to their extinction.

Fiorentino pointed out a concerning trend: over a third of ant genera have vanished from the modern Dominican Republic since amber formation began. Understanding why some species go extinct while others survive can help us protect biodiversity today.

This fascinating study sheds light on the past and shows how ancient creatures resemble modern ones. For more details, check out the full study in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

Find other intriguing wildlife stories here: Royal Society Publishing.

Source link