Sunday, 15 November 2026

Ant about 40 million years old found in amber from Goethe's collection

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Three-dimensional image of a red piece of amber with the white silhouette of an ant inside, near the top edge.

A fossilised ant has been found in amber from the collection of the poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Its age is approximately 40 million years.

The ant proved to be a representative of the extinct species Ctenobethylus goepperti. A black fly and a fungus gnat were also found in the poet's amber.

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