113-Million-Year-Old Hell Ant Discovered

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A fossil specimen of a 113-million-year-old "hell ant" discovered in Brazil has pushed back the known history of ants by 13 million years.

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Named Vulcanidris cratensis, this ancient predator had bizarre scythe-like jaws that moved vertically instead of horizontally like modern ants.

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Scientist Anderson Lepeco stumbled upon the specimen while examining a museum collection in São Paulo, proving valuable fossils often hide in plain sight.

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Unlike previously discovered hell ant fossils preserved in amber, this specimen was found in limestone, allowing researchers to study different anatomical details.

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High-tech 3D scanning revealed the ant's unique "forklift" hunting mechanism, where it likely impaled prey between its upward-moving jaws and horn-like head projection.

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Finding similar hell ants in locations as distant as Brazil and Myanmar suggests these insects were already widespread across ancient continents 113 million years ago.

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Hell ants vanished from the fossil record around 78 million years ago, possibly because their specialized hunting method left them vulnerable to extinction when food sources changed.

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Today's ant population stands at an estimated 20 quadrillion worldwide, with over 17,000 species thriving on every continent except Antarctica.

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