Fossil dragonflies lose their head 100 million years

Scientists have discovered a "headless" dragonfly fossil that is preserved almost intact in amber in Myanmar. The question here is: Why do dragonflies 'lose their heads'?

Fossil dragonflies "lost their heads" in amber. (Photo: George Poinar / OSU)

About 97 to 110 million years ago in the early Cretaceous period in a forest in Myanmar's Hukawng Valley - the time when wandering dinosaurs dominated the earth, there was a lizard hungry, ambushing the child. dragonfly served for its lunch. The lizard rushed at a fast speed and bit off the bad dragonfly's head.

If the story ends here, there is nothing worth saying. In the moment the lizard flipped and enjoyed its prey, it was unfortunate, both it and the rest of the dragonfly were attached to the sap, their soft bodies buried in yellow amber and preserved for to this day.

Fossil foot and tail part of the gluttonous lizard. (Photo: George Poinar / OSU)

Paleontologist George Poinar, who works at Oregon State University, will describe the ' lizard's last lunch ' in the December 2010 issue of Palaeodiversity Magazine. Poinar said the dragonfly (pictured above) represents a new genus called Paleodisparoneurinae of the dragonfly family, which is preserved almost intact, except for its head. But the lizard is hungry (below picture) - only the legs and tail are preserved.

According to the Science Daily magazine , this is the oldest dragonfly fossil found in amber, but previously fossil dragonfly specimens have been discovered in rocks dating to 300 million years, with wingspan. Giant scooters, up to more than 0.9 meters.

Poinar said, today, lizards often prefer the " headhunt " of dragonflies, and the dragonfly itself is a greedy predator, it eats insect larvae and mosquitoes. species of dragonflies are very beautiful, have attractive colors and are the favorite objects of insect collectors.