Beware of the deadly "hell" ants, that lived 99 million years ago!

99 million years ago an unusual and scary species of ant which we now call the 'hell' ant was in the middle of killing its prey, a smaller cockroach, when sap from trees covered both the predator and prey. Over millions of years the resin turned into a solid substance we call amber. Amber preserves fossils very well and allows us a better view into ancient life than bones. This particular piece of amber preserved a type of ant which no longer exists and which scientists call;
Ceratomyrmex ellenbergeri, aka 'hell' ant. This kind of ant is highly unusual because it had horns coming out from its head and a lower, hinged jaw that it used to pin its prey against its head. It would then probably sting the insect that it caught. Modern ants have jaws that open from side to side, not from bottom to top. It is an interesting prehistoric insect but I am glad they are extinct.

Question: what is your favorite kind of prehistoric animal?

Dinosaur-Era 'Hell Ant' Immortalized in Amber While Killing a Cockroach

Amber Fossil Shows ‘Hell Ant’ Was Unlike Anything Alive Today