A small beetle no bigger than half a grain of rice has revealed a mystery that forms the continents of the world in modern times, and how it was formed primarily from one giant continent 99 million years ago.
The scientists found the beetle in Myanmar suspended inside an amber stone 99 million years ago, much like a beetle currently in South America and the southern part of Arizona in the United States, the Daily Mail reported on Thursday.
Scientists say the vast geographical distance between the two sites (Myanmar and South America) provides evidence of how continents moved over time after the breakup of the only giant continent known as Bangia.
Researchers now believe that the beetle, which existed on Earth at the time of the break-up of Bangia, probably shows some striking links between the southern hemisphere and Myanmar.
The beetle was found in the late Cretaceous period, at a time when dinosaurs dominated the world, and researchers say the extinct beetle horns apparently allowed it to live.
The rare beetle, 2.5 millimeters long, was dependent on its short ribs and legs to walk through the leaves and under the rotting trees.
The beetle is just one of the thousands of specimens that were found surrounded by amber in Myanmar, where many small insects lived during the Cretaceous period.
The amber is produced from very sticky trees after depletion over time, and has a great ability to preserve any organic matter that is confined to it.
