100 million-year insect fossils resemble alien creatures

An ancient insect found in amber dating back to 100 million years old with large heads and eyes resembling aliens.

George Poinar Jr, an entomology professor at Oregon State University, discovered a strange, wingless insect preserved in an amber piece in the Hukawng Valley, Myanmar. It dates back about 100 million years, according to Seeker.

The strange insect with its head looks like an alien.(Photo: Seeker).

The Earth is now home to about 1 million different species of insects. Previously they were classified into 31 orders. For example, bees and ants are hymenoptera. Scientists named the new insect Aethiocarenus burmanicus. It is classified as a 32th insect called Aethiocarenodea. Research results are published in Cretaceous Research magazine in April 2017.

Aethiocarenus burmanicus has very unique characteristics, unlike any other beetle. Its head has a square triangle, looks like an alien in sci-fi movies. The animal's body is quite slender with long legs.

"Today's insects often have triangular heads. The longest side of the triangle is always at the bottom of the head and attached to the neck. The top of the triangle is the top of the animal. But this insect is backwards. Again, with the tip of the right triangle attached to the neck, the two large eyes of the animal allow the view to expand up to 180 degrees when turned to the side, so it observes everything that is happening behind the back. " , Poinar said.

Poinar said that Aethiocarenus burmanicus lived in cracks in the bark. Their food is worms, mites and mushrooms. Animals can secrete a chemical from the glands in the neck to repel other predators. The cause of Aethiocarenus burmanicus's extinction is still a mystery, but it is most likely because they lost their proper habitat.