A 3,000-year-old bee has been discovered preserved through mummification.
The male winged insect was found inside a cocoon, preserved perfectly, along with food.
Stumbling across a subterranean sarcophagus, a research team found thousands of bee hives fossilised underground, remaining untouched for hundreds of years.
The species is known as Eucera bees, a solitary bee that nests underground, emerging from their home for only a few weeks of their yearlong lives.
The state of the insect is believed to be extremely rare as the skeleton of this species quickly decomposes after death.
However, the level of conservation allowed researchers to establish the type of bee, the sex and even the pollen left behind by the mother when the cocoon was created.
Using a type of CT scan known as an X-ray micro-computing tomograph, the team were able to analyse the bee in microscopic detail, an extremely rare feat.
The cause of the bee’s death continues to be a mystery, however, researchers claim there must have been a catastrophic event for the bees to remain preserved in their homes.
They believe there was a shortage of oxygen caused by sudden flooding and a drop in nocturnal temperatures.
The research was carried out by experts at the University of Seville after the discovery in south west Portugal.
“Discovering and interpreting the ecological reasons for the presence of this population of bees and why they died and were mummified 3,000 years ago, may help us to understand and establish strategies for resilience in the face of climate change,” said principal investigator Carlos Neto de Carvalho.
“This includes comparing the ecological imbalances caused by natural parameters and the current ones and the way in which they are affecting the bee species of today.”
