Have you ever wondered what ants looked like back when dinosaurs roamed the Earth? Well, scientists have just made a jaw-dropping discovery: the oldest-known ant fossil has been found in Brazil, and it's over 113 million years old!
The newly identified species, called Vulcanidris cratensis, lived during the Cretaceous Period, a time when dinosaurs, ancient reptiles, and giant insects ruled the planet. This fascinating fossil was discovered preserved in limestone in the northeastern region of Brazil and gives us a rare look into the ancient world of ants.
What Makes Vulcanidris cratensis So Special?
Unlike the ants we know today, Vulcanidris belonged to a now-extinct group known as "hell ants." These fearsome creatures had terrifying, scythe-like jaws that moved up and down—not side to side like modern ants. These jaws were perfect for pinning down or impaling prey, making them fierce little predators of their time.
This ancient ant wasn't tiny either. It was about half an inch (1.35 cm) long, had wings, and carried a powerful stinger, much like a wasp. According to Anderson Lepeco, an entomologist at the Museum of Zoology of the University of São Paulo, an untrained eye could easily mistake it for a wasp flying around!
"They probably used their mandibles to handle their prey in a very specialized way," said Lepeco, who led the study published in Current Biology.
Older Than Any Ant Found Before!
Before this discovery, the oldest known ants came from fossils preserved in amber in France and Myanmar, dating back about 100 million years. But Vulcanidris cratensis is about 13 million years older!
The fossil was actually excavated decades ago but remained hidden in a private collection until it was recently donated to the São Paulo museum. While searching through the collection for wasp fossils, Lepeco made the shocking discovery.
What This Discovery Tells Us About Ant Evolution
This incredible find suggests that ants started evolving much earlier than scientists previously thought—possibly between 168 million and 120 million years ago. It strengthens the idea that ants originated from ancient wasps and bees and started diversifying during the time of the dinosaurs.
Back in its day, Vulcanidris lived in a lush ecosystem filled with spiders, millipedes, centipedes, ancient turtles, crocodiles, flying reptiles called pterosaurs, birds, and dinosaurs like the feathered meat-eater Ubirajara. And just like today, ants weren’t always at the top of the food chain—larger insects, birds, and frogs probably hunted them!
Final Thoughts
Discoveries like this remind us how much there is still to learn about life on Earth millions of years ago. Vulcanidris cratensis gives scientists an exciting new piece of the puzzle and shows just how ancient and resilient ants truly are.
If you’re fascinated by prehistoric life and ancient creatures, this discovery is one for the books!