113-Million-Year-Old ‘Hell Ant’ Fossil Is the Oldest Ant Ever Discovered

Trapped in a slab of 113-million-year-old limestone was an ancient ant with a bizarre, scythe-like jaw—and it turned out to be the oldest ant ever discovered. “Other hell ants have been described with odd mandibles, but always as amber specimens.”Videos by VICEThis one wasn’t in amber. “This new find now represents the oldest ant known,” said Phil Barden, an evolutionary biologist at the New Jersey Institute of Technology who wasn’t involved in the research. This 113-Million-Year-Old ‘Hell Ant’ Fossil Is Now the Oldest Ant Ever DiscoveredMicro-CT scans of the fossil revealed some seriously weird traits: more wing veins than modern ants, wasp-like features, and jaws that didn’t pinch sideways like today’s ants. Until then, we’ll have to settle for the fossil record—and this ancient, razor-jawed monster that’s now officially the world’s oldest ant.