Ancient Spider Attack Preserved in Amber
Posted on October 10, 2012
Researchers from Oregon State University have found the amazing fossil of a spider attack on a wasp caught in its web. This is the only known fossil like this that has ever been found. The fossil is estimated to be about 100 million years old. The spider attack took place during the Early Cretaceous when dinosaurs were walking the Earth.
George Poinar, Jr., a professor emeritus of zoology at Oregon State University and an expert on insects preserved in amber, said in a release, "This juvenile spider was going to make a meal out of a tiny parasitic wasp, but never quite got to it. This was a male wasp that suddenly found itself trapped in a spider web. This was the wasp's worst nightmare, and it never ended. The wasp was watching the spider just as it was about to be attacked, when tree resin flowed over and captured both of them."
Poinar, Jr. described the findings in an article published here in the journal Historical Biology.
Image: Photo courtesy of Oregon State Universit
