Paleontologist Discovers 1,700 Fossil Butterflies and Moths

A new find in Denmark has more than tripled the number of fossil butterflies and moths known to science. Previously, only about 700 specimens had been found and researchers thought that the insects might have been rare in ancient times. But paleontologist Jes Rust of the University of Gottingen in Germany reports in today’s Nature that he discovered 1,700 fossils in sediments dating from 55 million years ago. About 1,000 of the fossils are of a single species of moth.

Interestingly, the fossils were found in an area that was covered by seas at the time, suggesting that the insects were on a long-distance migration.

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Compiled by Times medical writer Thomas H. Maugh II