Scientists have found very old insects in amber in Ecuador. The insects are about 112 million years old. The discovery was reported in the journal Communications Earth and Environment. The insects include beetles, flies, ants, and wasps. They were found in tree resin at a quarry near the Amazon basin. Experts said this is the first time such fossils have been discovered in South America. Researcher Fabiany Herrera from the Field Museum in Chicago explained that the insects lived when flowering plants were starting to spread. Most amber found before came from the Northern Hemisphere, so the lack of finds in the south was a mystery. This new discovery shows what forests were like in the time of the dinosaurs.

The amber also contained pollen, leaves, and trees such as the Monkey Puzzle Tree. Experts said the fossils are important because they show details about life in the Cretaceous period. Ricardo Pérez-de la Fuente of Oxford University said amber helps researchers study how insects and plants lived together. Carlos Jaramillo of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute explained that miners had seen amber before, but detailed studies started only ten years ago. Scientists said the find is valuable because amber keeps tiny organisms very well.