Two 70‑million‑year‑old ant fossils found in Saskatchewan

Two diminutive ant fossils unearthed from sedimentary deposits in southern Saskatchewan are offering rare insight into the early evolution of modern ants. Dating to a span of roughly 72 to 56 million years ago, the specimens belong to a period that straddles the Cretaceous‑Paleogene (K‑Pg) mass extinction, an event that eliminated all non‑avian dinosaurs and dramatically altered terrestrial ecosystems. Because ant fossils from this interval are exceptionally scarce, the discovery provides a valuable data point for reconstructing the lineage and diversification patterns of Formicidae during a time of profound ecological turnover.

Researchers examining the fossils note that the ants’ morphology aligns with basal traits seen in contemporary subfamilies, suggesting that key anatomical features were already established before the extinction event. The K‑Pg boundary likely opened ecological niches previously occupied by dinosaurs, allowing insects, including ants, to expand their roles as predators, scavengers, and social organisms. By documenting the presence of ants shortly after the extinction, the findings support the hypothesis that ants survived the crisis and subsequently diversified in the newly available habitats, contributing to the rapid rise of modern ant lineages. Ongoing analysis of the specimens and related strata aims to refine the timeline of ant evolution and clarify how post‑extinction environmental shifts shaped the insect world.