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A fossilized cockroach estimated to be 35 to 40 million years old has been discovered in a piece of amber in Russia’s Kaliningrad Region. The specimen was found during manual sorting at the Kaliningrad Amber Combine, a facility operated by technology giant Rostech, the company announced on Thursday.
The insect is encased in a 41x21 mm piece of amber weighing 7 grams. Rostech noted that the cockroach is preserved near the surface of the amber, allowing for detailed observation of its wings, legs, and head.
Anna Dugina, a gemologist at the Kaliningrad Amber Combine, said the find is the largest cockroach-like specimen discovered by the facility in the past five years. She estimated its age at no less than 35 to 40 million years.
“The cockroach was covered in resin in an exceptionally fortunate way,” she added. “It is located very close to the surface of the amber, but still far enough from the edge. This made it possible to spot the inclusion during sorting and later grind and polish the surface without damaging it.”
The scientist explained that although the insect differs from cockroaches found today, similar species still live in tropical areas.
The Kaliningrad Amber Combine is the only enterprise globally that mines amber on an industrial scale. The facility has developed unique extraction methods to preserve the integrity of amber pieces, especially those containing inclusions of flora and fauna.
The discovery adds to the collection of the Kaliningrad Regional Amber Museum, which houses over 14,000 individual pieces, including more than 3,000 amber inclusions.
Baltic amber, such as that found in Kaliningrad, is known for preserving ancient life forms in remarkable detail. The region holds over 90% of the world’s amber reserves, most of which is located near the village of Yantarny.
