Extinct creature discovered trapped in amber after 40 million years

AN EXTINCT creature has been found trapped into amber after nearly 40 million years.

The doomed animal – which came from a legendary poet’s private collection – is so perfectly preserved that its hairs are still intact and visible.

Scientists probed the fossilised tree resin to discover three time-travelling creatures.

It contained a fungus gnat, a black fly and, most spectacularly, an ant.

The ant in question is the extinct Ctenobethylus goepperti species, which isn’t new to science, is the best-preserved specimen found to date.

It’s so well-kept that scientists say they can study it in “greater detail than ever before”.

Read more on scientific finds

RAWR-SOME

Moment archaeologists uncover world’s longest set of DINOSAUR prints in UK

TREASURE TROVE

Archaeologists unearth lost Egyptian temple 4,500 years after it was built

Even the amber itself is special because of who owned it.

The specimen actually belonged to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who is considered by many to be the most influential German language writer ever.

He lived from 1749 to 1832, and is noted by the scientists as a “polymathic poet, statesman, and naturalist”.

His collection was maintained, allowing for scientists to probe this rare specimen and even create shockingly detailed 3D images of the ant.

Goethe’s collection included around 40 pieces of amber, mostly from the Baltic Sea region.

They’re typically housed at the Goethe National Museum in Weimar – but were made available to scientists hoping to probe them.

It’s unclear whether Goethe knew about the creatures trapped inside the amber.

He never made any mention of them, and the study of life trapped in amber started towards the end of his life – so it’s possible and even likely that he had no idea about the true nature of the treasures lurking inside.

“Amber can preserve biological structure at unparalleled fidelity,” said lead author Brendon E. Boudinot, of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena in Germany.

“And the Goethe collection, preserved through cultural significance rather than scientific design, has now yielded new insights through modern imaging.”

Not only did the team uncover the fine hairs on the body of ant, but they were even able to look inside the head and body of the creature.

Examining the insides of a fossil ant is an extremely rare opportunity, as normally the internal structures are lost during the fossilisation process.

Scientists said that these structures have “never been documented” in fossil ants from the Cenozoic era – that’s the era from 66 million years ago to the modern day.

The creature, which is described as a worker ant, would be similar to the still-living ant Liometopum.

Scientists think that means the creature would’ve been a dominant species in warm-temperate coniferous forests.

That means it may have formed “massive colonies” that extended “from tree to tree”.

The “robust mandibles” on the ant may have been used for “excavating or boring wood”.

This research was published in the journal Scientific Reports.

Sign up for The Sun Tech newsletter for gadgets, games & more

Hello! I’m Sean Keach, The Sun’s Head of Technology and Science

I’ve been writing about gadgets, games and the future of technology for more than a decade.

During that time I’ve penned thousands of articles, filmed hundreds of videos, talked tech on TV and radio, and travelled around the world to bring you the latest on Apple, Meta, Google, Amazon, Netflix and more.

And I’ve got a weekly newsletter called The Sun Tech that you can read for free every Thursday.

I bring you the latest from the world of tech, including behind-the-scenes action, exclusive content, expert analysis, and plenty of help advice – so please follow along!