For sale is a piece of Baltic amber an ancient Pompilidae wasp belonging to the Vespidae Super Family of wasps. Wasps of this super family are usually social, but members of the Pompilidae are solitary wasps which feed on nectar to sustain themselves as adults. Extant species are known as 'spider wasps', because they reproduce by laying their eggs within spiders. Having paralysed its prey, the wasp drags the unfortunate arachnid to its burrow where it lays its eggs, which hatch and devour the host alive, leaving the central nervous system and heart for last in order to keep it alive and fresh for as long as possible before the larvae emerges to weave a cocoon in order to pupate, from which it will emerge as an adult the following summer.

The sting of this type of wasp in living species is said to be extremely painful, registering 4 on the Schmidt sting pain index (compared to 2 for an average bee or wasp sting). Quite a nasty little creature! A substantially sized piece with a rare and interesting inclusion. Also contains oak hairs and fragmented remains of other insects.  

Baltic amber is formed from the fossilized of tree resin from conifer trees of the Sciadopitaceae family of trees which lived in the Baltic Region of Europe 35-55 million years ago during the Eocene period. Most trees of this family are now extinct, though the Japanese Umbrella Pine (or Sciadopitys verticillata), a distant relative of the Baltic Amber tree, still grows in parts of Japan today.

Many insects and other inclusions were trapped in the resin as it oozed from the trees, and over a period of millions of years, the resin and its inclusions where polymerized, with the organic compounds replaced with non-organic ones, preserving the inclusions. Baltic amber is also known as succinite due to the high concentration of succinic acid within its chemical make up. It is the most common type of fossiliferous amber. A common feature by which Baltic amber can be distinguished from other amber types is the frequent presence of oak-leaf flower hairs, and many of the inclusions can be observed surrounded in a white film formed from the decaying internal fluids of the insect which managed to seep out before the resin fossilised.

These fossils are much better preserved than mineralised ones found in sedimentary rocks and look more or less as they did in life, making them extremely useful to scientists and particularly exciting to fossil collectors.

I also sell handy magnifiers with a UV light as well as a normal LED built into them for helping to check the authenticity of your amber. These are very handy to have if you do not already own one, please see my other listings.

Particulars:

Age:

35-50 Million Years old

Size:

See photos

Weight:

1.34g/6.7cts

Country of Origin:

Lithuania

Item is based in the UK. International buyers are welcome, but please bear in mind that I am not responsible for any customs charges/restriction on the import of this item.

Postage can be combined for multiple items.