近日,，科學(xué)家們發(fā)現(xiàn)了一種生活在史前時代，體型較之現(xiàn)代螞蟻如同“怪獸”般,，身長超過5厘米的大螞蟻化石,。
據(jù)國外媒體報道，科學(xué)家們將這種螞蟻命名為“Titanomyrma lubei”,，生活在距今約5千萬年前,，大小差不多相當(dāng)于現(xiàn)代蜂鳥。這種生物的化石被發(fā)現(xiàn)在美國懷俄明州,，成為迄今為止所發(fā)現(xiàn)的最大蟻類物種之一,。
這種體型巨大的螞蟻生活在炎熱氣候的地區(qū)，與之前曾在懷特島和德國發(fā)現(xiàn)的蟻類來自同一時期,，并且非常相似,。5千萬年前的始新世時期(Eocene period)，當(dāng)時極地溫度要高于現(xiàn)今,，并且各大陸版塊間彼此距離較近,。據(jù)此研究人員推斷這些螞蟻當(dāng)時可能在以上幾個地區(qū)之間生活或者“遷徙”,。
西蒙弗雷澤大學(xué)的布魯斯·阿奇博爾德(Bruce Archibald)博士表示，這一發(fā)現(xiàn)令人印象深刻,，除了體型巨大外在化石上還發(fā)現(xiàn)有翅膀的痕跡,，但幾乎沒有其它信息能用來分析其如何生活的情況。研究人員們根據(jù)其分布區(qū)域,，估計這種巨蟻或許是當(dāng)時在歐洲和北美之間長途跋涉,。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推薦原文出處：
Proc. R. Soc. B doi: 10.1098/rspb.2011.0729
Intercontinental dispersal of giant thermophilic ants across the Arctic during early Eocene hyperthermals
S. Bruce Archibald1,2,3,*, Kirk R. Johnson4, Rolf W. Mathewes1 and David R. Greenwood5
Abstract
Early Eocene land bridges allowed numerous plant and animal species to cross between Europe and North America via the Arctic. While many species suited to prevailing cool Arctic climates would have been able to cross throughout much of this period, others would have found dispersal opportunities only during limited intervals when their requirements for higher temperatures were met. Here, we present Titanomyrma lubei gen. et sp. nov. from Wyoming, USA, a new giant (greater than 5 cm long) formiciine ant from the early Eocene (approx. 49.5 Ma) Green River Formation. We show that the extinct ant subfamily Formiciinae is only known from localities with an estimated mean annual temperature of about 20°C or greater, consistent with the tropical ranges of almost all of the largest living ant species. This is, to our knowledge, the first known formiciine of gigantic size in the Western Hemisphere and the first reported cross-Arctic dispersal by a thermophilic insect group. This implies intercontinental migration during one or more brief high-temperature episodes (hyperthermals) sometime between the latest Palaeocene establishment of intercontinental land connections and the presence of giant formiciines in Europe and North America by the early middle Eocene.
