Beetle Fossils from the UK

Beetle Fossils from the UK

While we have probably all seen a fly or an insect trapped in Amber or Copal, these fossils are far less common. They are the genuine remains of insects turned to stone.

Soft tissues generally do not fossilise - it is usually the hard bones, teeth, etc that tend to fossilise. For these soft tissues to fossilise, very specific events must have taken place - in all likelihood covered by a very fine silty mud soon after death, or as a cause of death, before being covered in layers of sediment.

I'll be honest - I am nowhere near knowledgable enough to identify these insects, and it may not be possible from the preservation.

We currently only have a single piece in stock, measuring 93x40x12.5MM. It comes from the Lower Wealden beds of Surrey and ages from the Cretaceous. There are numerous small pieces of a beetle in it - likely part of a shell.