Meet the old inhabitant of the earth! Scientists discover 200 million-year-old butterfly fossils

Amsterdam, January 11: Butterflies, Moths may be little insects but don’t question their survival power. A group of scientists discovered a very well preserved moth and butterfly fossils which are said to be around 200 million years old. The fossils were discovered from ancient Germany rock.

"We found the microscopic remains of these organisms in the form of these scales," said Dr Bas van de Schootbrugge from Utrecht University in the Netherlands. They used acid to dissolve ancient rocks. Some of the moths and butterflies belonged to a group still alive today that have long straw-like tongues for sucking up nectar.

Scientists from a study estimate the first ancestral flower evolved between 140 and 250 million years ago. "Our finds show that the group that was supposed to co-evolve with flowers is actually much older," scientists said.