Discovered 23 million-year-old insect fossils

The remains of ancient insects and sunflower seeds trapped in amber in the Miocene date (23 million years ago) were discovered in Peru on August 9.

Excavations were made in the mountains and forests near the northern border of Peru and Ecuador.

These new findings are important because based on insects and sunflower seeds, we can determine the type of climate during the Miocene period, archaeologist Klaus Honninger said.

Fossil insects preserved in amber over 23 million years are found in an excavation adjacent to the Ecuadorian border (Photo: AFP)

Archaeologists also discovered that hundreds of pieces of amber to 12cm wide contain insects such as beetles, barklice, flies and spiders. They are trapped in amber so have a very good preservation. In addition, they discovered a creature whose head resembles a dog's head and has four times the length of the body. Archaeologists think it may be an ancient spider.

Due to the extreme climate change from the Miocene century (23 to 5 million years ago) is the cause of the extinction of these insects.