3,000-Year-Old Bees Found Mummified Inside Their Cocoons at New Paleontological Site in Portugal

Scientists unearthed hundreds of mummified bees entombed within cocoons nearly 3,000 years ago, at a novel paleontological site on Portugal's Odemira coast. The discovery, made by Naturtejo Geopark, sheds light on the presence of these preserved bees in their cocoons on the southwestern coast of Portugal.

Mummified Bess Resulted From Intense Fossilization

About 2,975 years ago when important historical events were happening in different countries, a specific region in Portugal now known as Odemira is also witnessing an unusual and rare phenomenon. It is when Eucera bees perished within their cocoons and meticulously preserved their intricate anatomy.

The recently uncovered cocoons were formed through an exceptionally uncommon fossilization process. Typically, the chitinous composition, an organic compound comprising the skeletons of these insects, swiftly decays.

The findings of the study, titled "Eucera Bees (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Eucerini) Preserved in Their Brood Cells From Late Holocene (Middle Neoglacial) Palaeosols of Southwest Portugal" published in the journal Papers in Paleontology, emphasize the remarkable scarcity of this fossilization method and the rapid decomposition associated with insects' chitinous composition.

Remarkable preservation enabled the identification of bee type, gender, and maternal pollen supply in the ancient cocoons, highlighted by paleontologist Carlos Carvalho's grandson from Naturtejo Geopark.

Discovering exoskeletons of bees or any insects preserved over such extended periods is a notable exception. Bee exoskeletons, comprised of chitin, a fibrous material that constitutes the cell walls of fungi as well, undergo rapid decomposition shortly after the organism's demise.

Finding Mummified Bees Led to the Discovery of New Paleontological Sites

Carlos Neto de Carvalho revealed the discovery of four paleontological sites abundant in bee cocoon fossils, numbering thousands within a one-square-meter area, located along the coast of Odemira, Portugal, between Vila Nova de Milfontes and Odeceixe. Despite a 100-million-year fossil record of bee nests and hives, the rarity of bee user fossilization is underscored in the report.

The intricate cocoons newly discovered in one of the new paleontological sites display an internal coating of maternal-produced thread composed of an organic polymer. Traces of monofloral pollen, nourishment for larvae in initial stages, can occasionally be found within.

Microcomputed tomography techniques facilitate three-dimensional imaging of the mummified bees inside sealed cocoons. Bees, with over 20,000 existing species globally, are vital pollinators whose populations have dwindled due to human activities, often linked to climate change.

Deciphering the ecological factors that contributed to bee mortality and mummification approximately 3,000 years ago could offer insights for establishing resilience strategies against climate change impacts.

The historical climate on the southwest coast involved colder, wetter winters compared to current conditions. Factors, such as a sudden drop in nocturnal temperatures at winter's end or prolonged flooding post-rainy season, may have led to the demise of hundreds of small bees due to cold or asphyxiation, subsequently mummifying them, as explained by Carlos Neto de Carvalho.

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