38 Million Year Old Mating Termite Fossil Found Frozen

TOKYO – Amazing discovery termite fossil caught while mating has provided insight into the behavior of an extinct species that walked the earth some 38 million years ago.

As reported by Wion News, Friday (8/2/2024), led by Assistant Professor at Auburn University, Nobuaki Mizumoto, an international research team revealed their discovery of a rare pair of fossils encased in amber.

Resin is fossilized tree resin, usually found in deposits that are millions to tens of millions of years old.

The insects, which are believed to be running together, are perfectly preserved in their mating positions in the sap of an ancient tree that turns to amber over thousands of years.

Tandem elopement is a behavior observed in certain insect species, including termites. It involves two individuals mating and maintaining head-to-belly contact while moving together, often in a coordinated manner.

During pair flight, the mating pair typically explores the surrounding environment, often searching for a suitable nest site or food source. This behavior is important for reproduction and termite colony formation.

Mizumoto while highlighting the importance of the discovery, stated, “Amber provides one of the most detailed and clear records of extinct life.” However, he warns that the process of fossilization has the potential to change the true nature of past organisms.

To validate their findings, the team conducted experiments that replicated the immobilization process in the laboratory using modern termites.

Mizumoto explains, “We found that the postures of fossilized termite pairs matched those of trapped termite pairs and differed from those of non-trapped termite pairs. Thus, the fossilized termite pairs were most likely tandem running pairs, representing the first direct evidence of mating behavior extinct termites.”

(wbs)