Prehistoric Insects Living Today, Time Travelers

Uncovering the Past: Prehistoric Insects in Our World

Reading time : 1 minute, Discovery Chepe Id-534-ECO
Published in 11-22-2024

Insects, thanks to their unique characteristics, were one of the great survivors. Their small size, their ability to adapt to diverse environments and their short life cycle allowed them to withstand extreme climate changes, food shortages and other natural disasters.

Did you know that some of the insects we see today have inhabited the Earth since time immemorial? Yes, just as you read it. Some of these small arthropods have survived cataclysms and climate changes that extinguished giants like the dinosaurs.

How did they do it?
Their short life cycle allowed them to withstand drastic changes on the planet. In addition, many of them developed skills such as hibernation or seeking underground shelters, which helped them survive periods of food shortages and extreme weather conditions.

Dragonflies: Although not in the same giant forms as in the past, modern dragonflies descend from ancestors that dominated the skies millions of years ago. During the Carboniferous, the period in which giant dragonflies lived, oxygen levels in the atmosphere were much higher than today. This excess oxygen allowed insects to grow to much larger sizes than is possible today.

Living Fossils: Prehistoric Insects Among Us

Photo: Leon Pauleikhoff
Scorpions Scorpions can survive in arid and desert environments, where water is scarce and temperatures are extreme. Their basic anatomy, with their characteristic stinger and pincers, has proven highly effective for hunting and defense.

Photo: Brett_Hondow
Cockroaches: True living fossils, cockroaches have proven to be extremely resilient to changes in their environment. Cockroaches are masters of adaptation, able to survive in a wide variety of habitats, from deserts to urban areas, and feeding on almost anything. Their hard exoskeleton protects them from injury and makes them resistant to dehydration. They also have a high tolerance to radiation and certain chemicals.

Photo: Rudolph Steenkamp

Mantophasmatidae: Also known as the gladiator bug, despite being a relatively small and little-known group, they have managed to persist for millions of years. These insects have a very ancient evolutionary origin, with fossils dating back to the Jurassic. This indicates that they have managed to adapt and survive climate changes and catastrophic events over millions of years. They were rediscovered in 2001 on the African continent and their appearance is a combination of a grasshopper and a praying mantis.