Fossilized Bee Nests Inside Skeletons Are Unlike Anything We've Seen Before
Gizmodo••general
Key Points:
- Paleontologists discovered fossilized burrowing bees, Osnidum almontei, nesting inside the buried bones of ancient animals in a Caribbean cave on Hispaniola, marking the first such finding of bees using animal fossils for nests.
- The discovery was accidental during a search for vertebrate fossils related to late Quaternary extinctions, revealing bees nesting in unusual locations such as hutia mandibles, vertebrae, and sloth tooth cavities.
- Unlike typical social, hive-dwelling bees, these ancient bees were solitary and uniquely nested in bone chambers within a cave environment, a behavior rarely documented among bees.
- The cave also served as a habitat and dumping ground for ancient barn owls that preyed on
