Mosquitoes Feasting on Dinosaurs and Plants in Transition: The Secrets of Ecuador’s Oldest Amber Unveiled
The scene seems straight out of a movie, but it’s not fiction: an amber deposit has preserved the remains of insects and plants that coexisted with dinosaurs for over a hundred million years. This discovery in Ecuador is not only the most important in South America for that time period, but also a key to reconstructing what life was like back then.
A Time Capsule in Resin
In the province of Napo, scientists found wasps, beetles, flies, aphids, and even fragments of spider webs trapped in fossilized resin. They also discovered plant remains that complete the snapshot of a vibrant ecosystem. According to Xavier Delclòs from the University of Barcelona, “Under the microscope, these organisms look freshly dead, even though they are over 100 million years old.”
Lost Ecosystems of Gondwana
Until now, most large amber deposits had been found in the Baltic region. This discovery changes the map, offering a unique record of what South America was like when it was still part of Gondwana.
Dinosaur Mosquitoes?
Researchers hypothesize that some of these insects may have fed on the blood of dinosaurs roaming those forests. While a “Jurassic Park” scenario is not possible due to DNA degradation, it does remind us of the extent to which…
A Glimpse into Evolution
Beyond the science fiction nod, this discovery is a window into the past. It also highlights the fragility of the fossil record: without resin, these organisms would have vanished without a trace.
Each inclusion in amber is a frozen piece of history. In this case, one that connects us with dinosaurs, the first flowering forests, and the evolution of life.
