Paleontologists Discover Prehistoric Firefly That Lit Up the Night Nearly 100 Million Years Ago

Amaze Lab

his is Flammarionella hehaikuni. It lit up the night some 99 million years ago, during the Mesozoic period and while it is an amazing find it’s not the first and that’s sort of what makes it so special.

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00:00Fireflies may be a rare sight these days, with most species all over the world now being

00:08considered endangered.

00:09However, there are 2,500 known species of bioluminescent beetles, and at least one of

00:14them lived when the dinosaurs still walked the earth.

00:17This is Flammarionella heihikuni, and paleontologists found the specimen trapped in amber.

00:23It lit up the night some 99 million years ago, during the Mesozoic period.

00:27And while it is an amazing find, it's not the first, and that's sort of what makes it

00:30so special.

00:31That's because this creature's bioluminescent butt is different than the one found before

00:35it.

00:36Meaning that despite having existed nearly 100 million years ago, there was already likely

00:40vast genetic diversity in these light-up insects.

00:44Experts say that fireflies use their bioluminescence to both warn predators of toxins they may

00:48possess and to attract mates.

00:50The most recent prehistoric firefly was discovered in Myanmar, and is providing new insights

00:54to researchers studying the long-extinct creatures.

00:57With those investigators writing, it's part of their study.

01:00As the fossil record expands in the future, we anticipate further revelations that will

01:04broaden our knowledge of when, how, and why bioluminescence evolved in these fascinating

01:09animals during the Mesozoic era.

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