The oldest fossil of a butterfly discovered so far suggests that the insects lived at the same time as the dinosaurs 50 million years earlier than previously thought.
Remnants of the wings of at least seven different species have been discovered in Germany. According to The Guardian, sediment weighs only 10 grams, and experts believe there are countless remains of this type to be discovered.
Insects lived 200 million years ago, at the same time as the first dinosaurs. Some of the moths have signs of a trumpet. Previously, experts thought the trumpet evolved in the same time with the blooming plants to allow insects to reach nectar.
Currently, experts suggest the hypothesis that the trumpet was originally used to extract the plant seedlings until the plant flowers appeared. “This was an evolving response of the median to the aridity and heat wave of the late Triassic period” noted the specialists.
The team excavated cores from a former lagoon located in Schandelah in northern Germany to examine the impact of environmental changes on the oceans. Due to the low level of oxygen in the lagoon, algae, spores, pollen, fungi and plants have been preserved. Among these species were remnants of butterflies and moths discovered today.
