The finds, dating back 99 million years, represent “the only known surviving cave remains from the dinosaur era.”
Lenka Podstrelena, Sandy et al. Gondwana Res 2020 (Copyright Elsevier 2020) Both samples were found encased in amber, and experts speculate that this was due to tree roots that had penetrated the cave and dripped resin.
These ancient cockroaches are now the oldest known examples of “troglomorphic” organisms, which refers to living creatures that have effectively adapted to the dark, damp conditions of caves.
While there have been many examples of cave insects with small eyes, wings, long legs and antennae, these are by far the oldest. It is unclear how they became trapped in amber, but researchers believe they may have been tree roots that burrowed deep into the cave and dripped resin inside.
It is also believed that these cockroaches probably ate dinosaur guano, or excrement, similar to modern cockroaches that eat bird and bat droppings. How they survived the apocalyptic extinction that wiped out the dinosaurs remains a mystery, although cockroaches are known for their resilience.
“The cave environment is ideal for the fossilization of bones and coprolites [or fossilized feces], and the fossil record of cave mammals includes rodents, ungulates, marsupials, ursines, felines, hyenas, canines, primates and humans,” the study notes.
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