{"id":11539,"date":"2025-04-29T18:05:39","date_gmt":"2025-04-29T16:05:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antcube.shop\/?p=11539"},"modified":"2025-10-08T18:17:19","modified_gmt":"2025-10-08T16:17:19","slug":"groundbreaking-discovery-scientists-unveil-113-million-year-old-ant-fossil-that-rewrites-evolution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antcube.shop\/en\/2025\/04\/29\/groundbreaking-discovery-scientists-unveil-113-million-year-old-ant-fossil-that-rewrites-evolution\/","title":{"rendered":"Scientists Discover 113-Million-Year-Old Ant Fossil That Rewrites Evolution"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<header>\n<h1>Groundbreaking Discovery: Scientists Unveil 113-Million-Year-Old Ant Fossil That Rewrites Evolution<\/h1>\n<\/header>\n<section>\n<h2>113-Million-Year-Old Ant Fossil Provides Insights into Evolution<\/h2>\n<p>Brazilian researchers have uncovered the world\u2019s oldest known ant fossil, estimated to be <strong>113 million years old<\/strong>. This extraordinary find sheds new light on the evolution of ants, revealing a species from an extinct group called &#8220;hell ants,&#8221; closely related to the wasp-like ancestors of modern ants. Preserved in limestone from Brazil\u2019s Crato Formation, this fossil significantly extends our understanding of ant history.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"cf0\">If you\u2019d like to support us, you can order a poster; <\/span><span class=\"cf0\">Follow<\/span><span class=\"cf0\"> the link to these cool<\/span><a class=\"cf0\" href=\"https:\/\/antcube.shop\/en\/product-category\/ant-posters-and-teaching-aids\/\"><span class=\"cf0\">\u00a0ant posters<\/span><\/a><span class=\"cf0\"> and get 10% off with the promo code <strong>antblog10<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section>\n<h2>Micro-Computed Tomography Reveals Stunning Anatomical Features<\/h2>\n<p>Using <strong>micro-computed tomography<\/strong>, the scientists created a detailed 3D image of the fossil, uncovering hidden anatomical features. One standout trait is the ant\u2019s scythe-like mandibles, which impaled prey\u2014unlike modern ants, which use side-grasping mandibles to catch their food.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section>\n<h2>Ancient Predator That Lived Alongside Dinosaurs<\/h2>\n<p>This fossil is part of the extinct subfamily <strong>Haidomyrmecinae<\/strong>, which thrived during the Cretaceous period, coexisting with dinosaurs. Named <strong>Vulcanidris cratensis<\/strong>, the discovery predates earlier hell ant fossils found in amber from Myanmar and France, reinforcing the species\u2019 widespread presence across continents.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section>\n<h2>A Discovery That Changes Everything About Prehistoric Insect Evolution<\/h2>\n<p>Beyond adding to scientific knowledge, the fossil highlights the diversity of life in prehistoric times. Insects such as hell ants played remarkable roles alongside dinosaurs, exhibiting specialized behaviors and unique anatomies. Researchers hope future discoveries will further connect the evolutionary puzzle of ants.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<p>To know more about ant history, you can <a href=\"https:\/\/antcube.shop\/en\/2025\/03\/27\/evolution-of-ants-explained\/\">read this article<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/CAo0dqOHnmU?si=bo6FppWPPyNKBXUH\">watch this vid<\/a>eo.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Groundbreaking Discovery: Scientists Unveil 113-Million-Year-Old Ant Fossil That Rewrites Evolution<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24784,"featured_media":11228,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[539],"tags":[523,526,524,518,516,531,527,528,525,532,522,515,530,520,529,517,519,533,521],"class_list":["post-11539","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ant-history","tag-113-million-year-old-ant-fossil","tag-ancient-predator","tag-brazil-fossils","tag-crato-formation","tag-cretaceous-period","tag-dinosaur-era-insects","tag-evolutionary-biology","tag-extinct-species","tag-fossil-discovery","tag-groundbreaking-research","tag-hell-ants","tag-insect-evolution","tag-mandible-adaptations","tag-micro-computed-tomography","tag-paleoentomology","tag-paleontology","tag-prehistoric-ants","tag-scientific-discovery","tag-vulcanidris-cratensis"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/antcube.shop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ant-in-amber-How-did-ants-evolve-A-quick-and-easy-exploration-of-ant-history-YouTube.png?fit=2553%2C1330&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/antcube.shop\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11539","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/antcube.shop\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/antcube.shop\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antcube.shop\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24784"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antcube.shop\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11539"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/antcube.shop\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11539\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12572,"href":"https:\/\/antcube.shop\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11539\/revisions\/12572"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antcube.shop\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11228"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/antcube.shop\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11539"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antcube.shop\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11539"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antcube.shop\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11539"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}