New insects hatch dead hard in amber 130 million years

The sap flowing down can cause the ancient beetles to die immediately after breaking the eggshell.

Scientists discovered a number of insects, ancient relatives of the Chrysopidae beetle , stuck in amber, or fossil resin, in Lebanon, Fox News reported yesterday. Especially, they are turned into fossils as soon as they hatch.

Picture 1 of New insects hatch dead hard in amber 130 million years
New insect carcasses hatched in amber 130 million years.(Photo: Sun).

The new discovery helps scientists understand more about the process of insects using a unique tool called the egg shell breaker . "The eggshell breaker tends to disappear quickly after hatching. Therefore, finding their fossil is very special," said Dr. Michael Engel, a member of the research team. The fossil record also shows that the method of breaking eggshells has appeared since the early period of the Cretaceous period.

The team thinks that bugs are trapped in sap when they still cling to the eggshell. Maybe the eggs were originally placed on the tree and the plastic oozing from the branches turned them into fossils almost immediately.

Picture 2 of New insects hatch dead hard in amber 130 million years
Illustrate the process of the ancient bugs coming out of the egg.(Photo: Sun).

"Eggshell breakers are very diverse in shape and location. Today Chrysopidae bugs break the eggshell with a" mask "with a sharp knife tip. "The egg is empty. This is exactly what we found in the piece of amber that contains newly hatched bugs , " said Dr. Ricardo Pérez-de la Fuente, the study's lead author.