Photomicrograph from top view of the hell ant, Ceratomyrmex ellenbergeri, restraining its prey, an extinct cockroach relative called Caputoraptor elegans, preserved in amber.
Posted on 08/06/2020 12:52:33 PM PDT by BenLurkin
Around 99 million years ago, a juvenile cockroach met a hellish fate. It was snapped up by the jaws of a Cretaceous hell ant, a fierce predator with long, curving mandibles that swept up toward the top of the ant's head.
Just moments later, the ant and roach were trapped in sticky sap that eventually turned to amber, providing scientists with a first glimpse of how the weird-faced ants trapped prey.
The profile of a hell ant, with exaggerated upward-facing jaws that arc like the Grim Reaper's scythe, is unlike that of any ant alive today. Adding to the facial weirdness is a hell ant's horn, which comes in a variety of shapes in this ant group, known as Haidomyrmecine.
Researchers had long suspected that hell ants swung their prominent mandibles upward to catch their prey, unlike modern ants that snap their jaws together horizontally. In the piece of Cretaceous amber from Myanmar, scientists found the first confirmation of this hunting technique.
Hell ants lived during the Cretaceous period (about 145.5 million to 65.5 million years ago), and are known from amber deposits in Myanmar, France and Canada spanning 100 million to 78 million years ago...
Scientists described the first hell ant about a century ago, and have since identified 16 species — all of whom have elongated mandibles and horns.
Photomicrograph from top view of the hell ant, Ceratomyrmex ellenbergeri, restraining its prey, an extinct cockroach relative called Caputoraptor elegans, preserved in amber.
(Image: © From Barden, Perrichot, Wang 2020. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.06.106)
(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...
Three words, Timing Is Everything.
I read somewhere that you could extract DNA from animals preserved in amber and then reanimate them into live critters, like Dinosaurs and such.
Is that true? ;)
I had a hell uncle once. He died in amber (ale), too.
;) according to Michael Crichton you can
“Weird stuff” ain’t what it used to be. IMHO.
Too bad the hell ant never got to meet the murder hornet.
i saw the documentary on that... fascinating.
the missing strands of corrupted dna were substituted with amphibian dna...
it is amazing what they can do.
Ain’t that the truth!
I want one for Christmas...
...to give to my ex!
I guess “misc” would have been better?
A Thug Ant is picking on a little Rover Roach who was busy looking at his new cell phone.
“Where you goin’ with that phone, Boy?
“Why? This is MY phone. Got it for my birthday today, and you can’t have it!”
“We’ll see about that, Junior. I can’t even borrow it?!”
I’m glad Hell Ants are extinct! I wouldn’t want to meet a living Hell Ant!
Soooo...
If we bring back the hell ants, we get rid of the cockroaches?
Many people have experience with Hell Aunts. Maybe the 6 legged ones would be less trouble.
“Hell ants lived during the Cretaceous period (about 145.5 million to 65.5 million years ago)” They went extinct because they had little ant-bodies to fight the diseases of the day.
New horror movie.... The Hell’s Angels meet the Hell Ants.
Hell Ant.
Murder Hornet.
Thunderdome.
Paraponera clavata is natures' improved model of ant, commonly known as the bullet ant, named for its extremely potent sting.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paraponera_clavata
But it would be something if they could resurrect this 100 million year old species!
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