I saw an article on a mantis encased in Amber that’s 30 million years old. assuming mantis reproduce once a year, this thing is like 30 million generations removed from a modern mantis. It might not even be able to reproduce with a modern mantis Even if it does look exactly the same.
I looked into humans as a comparison and even 10 million years ago, the modern human didn’t even exist. there’s a good chance we’re too separated from them to reproduce or even be considered the same species. so wouldn’t that also apply to this 30 million year old mantis.
In: Biology
First off the mantis you’re referring to was found to be faked. Not to say it can’t happen but the specific one that rotates through Facebook/Reddit/Twitter/etc. is absolutely fake. The posing is perfect and the amber is extremely clear. If it was real the mantis would be laid down and the amber is almost always cloudy and full of random trash like bark, dirt, and leaves.
That said.
If it was real and it happened to some how be the exact same species as one that exists it would theoretically be able to reproduce although the offspring would be missing genetic protections from disease developed over the last 30 million years so they would likely die to whatever is currently the mantis equivalent of the common cold.
The probability of it being able to reproduce is likely low. It would have to be from a region that hasn’t been effected by major world altering events like the ice ages, floods, famine, and/or drought. Those type of events cause a narrowing of the gene pool locally or will wipe out a subspecies completely.
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