In the amber deposits of the Cretaceous period, a previously unknown species of ants was discovered. Unlike all their other brethren, these had real combat "horns".
Found in Southeast Asia on the territory of modern Myanmar, scientists dated the sample to about 99 million years old. According to the authors, whose article was published in the journal Cell, this is the first known ant to have a "horn" on its head. Judging by the presence of tiny, sensitive hairs on the underside, it was a powerful weapon of war. In fact, the same hairs are found on the jaws of some other ants - they allow them to quickly and strongly close on the victim.
The unique "horn" also indicates that this species stood alone in the Formicidae family and could evolutionarily diverge from the rest hundreds of millions of years before one of these ants was trapped in amber. The presence of such a complex and unusual organ may indicate its special, narrow, food specialization. Judging by the anatomy of the horns and jaws, which rise high above the "forehead", like the blades of sharp and dangerous scythes, these ants were dangerous predators and could feed on large insects.
In the Cretaceous period, ants just began to diversify into different groups, so in general they usually had a fairly wide food specialization and a similar body shape. Some of them began to transform into those highly socialized insects that we know today. Others remained solitary predators. Apparently, this was also the "horned" ant, attributed by scientists to the now extinct subfamily Haidomyrmecini - one of the first true specialist predators.