Brazilian researchers say they’ve discovered the oldest ant fossil yet, a finding that sheds light on the insects’ evolution. The female specimen belongs to an extinct group known as “hell ants,” which are closely related to the wasp-like ancestor of ants today.

By Will Dunham (Reuters) -Scientists have identified the fossilized remains of the oldest-known ant - a winged insect with fearsome scythe-like jaws that lived about 113 million years ago during the age of dinosaurs and was preserved in limestone unearthed in northeastern Brazil.

The fossil’s discovery in Brazil shows that ants have been around for longer than once thought. This insect impaled its prey with scythe-like jaws, scientists say.