Oldest Ant Fossil Discovered: 113 Million Years Old | JQJO

A 113-million-year-old fossilized ant, the oldest ever discovered, has been unearthed in a Brazilian museum. Dubbed *Vulcanidris cratensis*, this 'hell ant' possessed unique scythe-like jaws, suggesting a specialized predatory strategy unlike modern ants. The discovery, published in Current Biology, pushes back the known ant fossil record by approximately 10 million years, indicating a wider distribution and evolutionary diversity of ants during the early Cretaceous period than previously understood. This find provides valuable insight into the early evolution of ants and their predatory adaptations.