Paleontologists from Oregon State University found the amazing fossil:
“This juvenile spider was going to make a meal out of a tiny parasitic wasp, but never quite got to it,” said George Poinar, Jr., a professor emeritus of zoology at Oregon State University and world expert on insects trapped in amber. He outlined the findings in a new publication in the journal Historical Biology.I find this scene poignant, and even moving. This is a dance as old as life itself, but to see it revealed after these World Ages is to in a sense capture time in a bottle. Poised, striking, forever pouncing yet never catching.
“This was a male wasp that suddenly found itself trapped in a spider web,” Poinar said. “This was the wasp’s worst nightmare, and it never ended. The wasp was watching the spider just as it was about to be attacked, when tree resin flowed over and captured both of them.”
Towards thee I roll, thou all-destroying but unconquering whale; to the last I grapple with thee; from hell's heart I stab at thee; for hate's sake I spit my last breath at thee.
- Herman Melville, Moby Dick
What's sad is I read that last line in Ricardo Montalbon's voice.
ReplyDeleteThat is an extremely interesting find. I wonder how they both got trapped at the same time in sap that was runny enough to get over them quickly, but not so thin that they couldn't get out.
DaddyBear beat me to both comments.
ReplyDeleteNothing I could add would resin-ate as much as Daddy Bear's words.
ReplyDeleteBrigid, have you been hanging around with BRM? It's getting a bit punnish in here.
ReplyDeleteFrom Hell's heart I bring puns for thee.
ReplyDeleteAsk not for whom the Hell's pun tolls, it tolls for thee,
Careful with the puns, you wouldn't want this to get sappy.
ReplyDeleteDamn, I can't even get a comment in edgewise, I seem to be 'stuck'... :-) And agree with DB!
ReplyDelete