The remains of giant ants found in different parts of the Earth: scientists are intrigued
There are still many unknowns in the history of the Earth, and some findings of scientists are really shocking. The remains of giant ants have been found in different parts of the planet. Their size is astonishing. According to experts, ants once preyed on lizards and even small mammals.
Representatives of this species have been found on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean - from the territory of modern Germany to the United States. Experts from around the world, including Cambridge University, trying to figure out what the mystery of the giant ants.
Where the giant ants lived
Titanomyrma giant ants were first found in Germany and eight years later in the United States. The scientific community was faced with the question: How could insects have settled on two continents more than 50 million years ago?
Ants usually live in warm climates, but the Titanomyrma species somehow crossed the cold Bering Strait into the northwestern United States. Scientists cannot explain how the ants crossed the Atlantic and survived the very low temperatures. There are two hypotheses. According to the first one, ants somehow crossed the Arctic by land route during the period of global warming. Proponents of the other theory note that Titanomyrma might have been a more cold-resistant species.
What Titanomyrma looked like
The giant ants had the weight of a small bird and an approximate body length of 5 cm. Some scientists speculate that more. Flying species were also common; their wings were up to 16 cm long.
Recently, an incredible find was discovered. The fossil clearly shows the remains of Titanomyrma.
The giant Titanomyrma ant from Wyoming, found by SFU paleontologist Bruce Archibald and his staff, is extinct.
Source: Bruce Archibald
SFU paleontologists Bruce Archibald and Rolf Mathews, along with Arvid Eise of Fossil Butte National Monument in Wyoming, have published their fossil study in the current issue of the scientific journal The Canadian Entomologist.
The difficulty is that the new Canadian fossil is distorted by geological pressure. Its actual size cannot be ascertained.
There is a high probability that this discovery will give more light to the mystery of the origin and distribution of giant ants.
Previously OBOZREVATEL told that the largest organism on Earth is slowly being eaten and may die.
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