Scientists discover ancient hornet trapped in amber with evidence of prey capture

Scientists reported on Wednesday that ancient hornets might have interacted with dinosaurs and possessed bodies resembling Venus flytraps to catch prey.

The parasitic wasp’s abdomen features flaps with thin hairs, resembling the structure of a Venus flytrap, according to Lars Bilhelmsen, a co-author of the study at the Danish Museum of Natural History.

Researchers found numerous female hornets preserved in 99 million-year-old amber from northern Myanmar’s Kachin region. Although the wasp’s flaps and tooth-like hairs resemble a carnivorous plant, scientists believe the design was intended for cushioning rather than crushing prey.

Instead, scientists suggest that the flytrap-like structures were used to secure insect prey while the wasps laid eggs on and drained their hosts, similar to modern cuckoo wasps and velvet ants.

While many parasitic wasps adapt this strategy to exploit insects, the unique flaps are not observed in other known wasp species or insects.

Entomologist Lynn Kimsy from the University of California, Davis, who was not part of the study, commented, “I’ve seen a lot of strange insects, but this is one of the oddest things I’ve come across recently.”