Ants have been around Earth for a long time. Until recently, the oldest known ant fossil was 99 million years old. That is younger than the dinosaurs, but much longer than humans (or any kind of primate) have been here.
Now, scientists in Brazil have found the oldest known ant fossil yet, dating back 113 million years. It was found in limestone in the Crato Formation, a fossil site in Ceará state in northeastern Brazil. The new species, named Vulcanidris cratensis, belongs to a group called the “hell ants.”
This ancient ant species had unique jaws shaped like a scythe. These jaws could probably impale prey from the bottom up. The ant’s jaws closed vertically like those of humans. Modern ant jaws close horizontally.
The previous oldest ants known to science were found in France and Myanmar. The discovery from Brazil shows that ancient ants lived on at least three continents and ranged across Earth much earlier than was previously thought.
David Brown adapted this story for kids. It is based on an article by Shanna Hanbury, published on Mongabay News.
