Fossil Insects Main Page

Insect fossils as generally very rare as most insect bodies are soft and decompose rapidly without leaving any bone structure. Occasionally specimens preserved in mud leave impressions of themselves but are very rarely found. The most famous fossil insects are those found in Amber, a substance secreted by trees when damaged traps insects and covers them in the sap that will preserve them for ever. The movie Jurassic Park was based on the DNA of a dinosaur being removed from blood removed from a mosquito preserved for over 100 million years in Amber.

Insects in Amber Fossilized Insects