In love! Image of amorous flies trapped in amber for 40 million years is among newly digitized photos unveiled by the Natural History Museum for Valentine’s Day

  • The flies belong to the family Dolichopodidae, which generally have long legs
  • The Natural History Museum has digitized 3,000 pieces of amber

For forty million years they were trapped in an amorous embrace.

The two long-legged flies were mating when they were coated in sticky tree resin, which hardened and formed amber.

The stunning image of the stricken insects was unveiled along with a number of others by the Natural History Museum to mark Valentine’s Day.

Although ancient insects are often seen trapped in amber, the specimen with the romantically committed flies is particularly rare.

Two long-legged flies were mating when they were coated in sticky tree resin, which hardened and formed amber. The stunning image of the stricken insects has been unveiled along with a number of others by the Natural History Museum to mark Valentine’s Day

Although ancient insects are often seen trapped in amber, the specimen with the romantically committed flies is particularly rare

The flies belong to the family Dolichopodidae, which generally have long legs.

Also in the collection are various images of heart-shaped pieces of amber.

How amber fossils are formed

Amber fossils form when insects become trapped in the sticky sap that forms on trees.

The more they try to free themselves, the deeper they sink into the juice.

Eventually the tree dies and sinks into the coal seam over millions of years. During this period, the sap of the tree hardens and forms amber stones.

The Earth’s surface may be eroded, or humans may dig out layers of soil, until one day they find the precious amber stone that contains the insects.

Amazingly, insects, spiders and even small lizards have been found preserved in amber. The stones can be made into expensive jewelry.

One, from the Baltic region, dates from about 44 million years ago and contains a now extinct, non-biting mosquito trapped inside.

Another piece of tree resin, known as copal, was only formed in the past few million years and comes from southern Africa.

The mosquito in the Baltic specimen dates from the era in Earth’s history known as the Eocene, between 56 and 34 million years ago.

A recent study by experts from the Universities of Lincoln, Leicester, Dundee and Uppsala used micro-CT scanning technology to examine the structure of the ‘ear’ of a bush cricket lodged in another piece of Baltic amber.

Scientists have been able to determine that he can hear ultrasonic sounds that go beyond the range that humans can perceive.

The Natural History Museum has digitized a total of 3,000 pieces of amber as part of the ‘NHM Unlocked’ project.

A new center will be built at Thames Valley Science Park and will be equipped with storage facilities, digitization suites and laboratories.

The NHM’s amber collection includes specimens acquired by scientist Sir Hans Sloane in the 18th century.

His collection subsequently formed the basis of the British Museum, which was founded after Sloane’s death in 1753.

Sloane’s objects later became the collection of the NHM.

The flies belong to the family Dolichopodidae, which generally have long legs

Also in the collection are various images of heart-shaped pieces of amber. Above: A piece of tree resin known as copal, which has only formed within the past few million years and originates from southern Africa

This piece of amber, from the Baltic region, dates from about 44 million years ago and contains a now extinct, non-biting mosquito.

Dr. Richie Howard, Curator of Fossil Arthropods at the Natural History Museum, said: ‘The digitization of these fantastic amber specimens means we can further unlock their research potential by sharing their basic data freely through our online portal.

‘This allows parties without prior in-depth knowledge of the collection to come up with new ideas and hypotheses to test on our specimens.

“NHM Unlocked will provide greater opportunities to digitize our world-class collections and continue to reveal their scientific value through on-site laboratories.”

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