The 30 million-year-old mantis is perfectly preserved in amber, looks like a modern mantis

The mantis was trapped in a piece of amber only about 3cm high, dating from the Oligocene or Tiem Tan - a geological form that lasted from 33.9 to 23 million years ago. This pristine amber is from the Dominican Republic. This is one of the rare pieces preserved intact mantis dating from prehistoric times.

What is amazing is that the mantis in this amber has a not very different appearance from the mantises we see today.

Amber is considered a "storage museum" almost perfect for ancient insects. This piece of prehistoric amber is derived from the extinct prehistoric Hymenaea protera. The sap of this plant is the source of most amber found in Central and South America.

The 30 million-year-old mantis is perfectly preserved in amber, looks like a modern mantis Picture 1

The 30 million-year-old mantis is perfectly preserved in amber, looks like a modern mantis Picture 2

In 2016, this unique piece of amber was sold for $ 6,000.

Mantises today have more than 2,400 species, mainly living in tropical climates. But 135 million years ago, the first mantises appeared in a place colder than present-day Siberia. Like modern mantises, ancient mantises also have thorns on their forelegs.

Up to the present time, the oldest sample of amber found to date is about 345 million years. The oldest form of amber contains fossils found to be around 146 million years old.