Scientists have discovered the fossil remains of the oldest known ant, a winged insect with terrifying, sickle-shaped jaws. It lived about 113 million years ago, during the age of dinosaurs, and was preserved in limestone layers found in northeastern Brazil.
The species, called Vulcanidris cratensis, belongs to a group called “hell ants,” which get their name from their fearsome jaws. These ants flourished in various parts of the world during the Cretaceous period, but their descendants are no longer extant. Another previously discovered hell ant, Haidomyrmex, was named after Hades, the underworld god in ancient Greek mythology.
Vulcanidris cratensis was a medium-sized ant about 1.35 centimeters long. Its jaws allowed it to pin or pierce its prey. Like some ants alive today, it had wings and was a good flyer. In addition, its sting was intense, similar to that of a wasp.
“To the untrained eye, it could easily be mistaken for a wasp,” said Anderson Lepeco, an entomologist at the Museum of Zoology at the University of São Paulo, adding, “It probably used its jaws to manipulate its prey uniquely, pinning it.”
