A praying mantis, encased in amber and frozen in time since Earth’s ancient Paleogene Period, sparked a flurry of bids amongst collectors after its modern discovery in the Dominican Republic.
Some 30 million years ago, when giant rhinos and primitive three-toed horses roamed the earth, sticky resin leaking out of a single tree trapped a crawling praying mantis. The unfortunate creature died inside the sticky tomb, to be forever preserved as the resin fossilized, turning to amber.
While the average human cannot comprehend such a length of time, it is still amazing to think that the very same insect is exactly the same now as it was at that fateful moment. Sold by Heritage Auctions for $6,000 in 2016, the little piece of prehistoric treasure is up for sale again; this time attracting bids almost double the original amount it went for….