Ancient Bees Nest in Rodent Teeth and Bones
- * Discovery: Researchers discovered bee nests inside fossilized bones in a cave in the Dominican Republic.
Here’s a breakdown of the key facts from the provided text:
* Discovery: Researchers discovered bee nests inside fossilized bones in a cave in the Dominican Republic.
* Fossil Origins: Most of the bones were from hutias (rodents), but some were from an extinct type of sloth.
* importance: This is the first time bee nests have been found within pre-existing cavities in fossils. It’s the second instance of bees nesting in a cave overall (the first being bees drilling into bones).
* bee Behavior: The bees (burrowing bees) seem opportunistic, using any available space in the bones for nesting. They don’t typically nest in cavities, suggesting they adapted to this situation.
* How the Bones Got There: The bones were accumulated by extinct Hispaniolan barn owls, who either brought whole hutias to the cave or deposited pellets containing hutia remains.
* Timeline: The bones were deposited first, then buried by sediment, and then used by bees for nesting over multiple generations (as evidenced by multiple nests in one tooth cavity).
* Fossil Nest Name: The fossilized nests have been named Osnidum almontei.
* Publication: The study was published in the journal Royal Society Open Science.