Rare insect discovery reveals a new species from the dinosaur age
Researchers have identified a new insect species, Cretodorus noonoo, preserved in 99-million-year-old amber. The discovery reveals that these ancient insects possessed uniquely long, flexible mouthparts for accessing food in tree bark.
Why it matters
This discovery provides new insights into evolutionary adaptations during the dinosaur age.
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Add as preferred source The newly described species—Cretodorus noonoo. Credit: Dolev Fabrikant Some 99 million years ago, during the age of the dinosaurs, a tiny insect belonging to a species previously unknown to science became trapped in tree resin. The resin hardened and turned into amber, and the fossil preserved within it has now enabled a team of researchers from the School of Zoology and The Steinhardt Museum of Natural History to identify and describe a new species: Cretodorus noonoo, or "Noo-Noo."
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