Embedded within a clear piece of amber, a small praying mantis sits at attention, frozen forever in time. The piece, which measures just slightly over one inch tall, was sold via Heritage Auctions for $6,000 in 2016. The pristine piece of amber, which comes from the Dominican Republic, gives a rare view of this incredible mantis. The amber itself derives from the extinct Hymenaea protera, a prehistoric leguminous tree. Most amber found in Central and South America comes from its resin. Amber from the Dominican Republic is known as Dominican resin, which is noted for its clarity and a high number of inclusions. Heritage Auctions dates the piece in question to the Oligocene period, placing it
Introducing our newest Paleo-Artist of the week! Li Hairo! First of all, I think it is safe to say that Li Hairo is a MAJOR Jurassic Park fan... If you couldn't tell lol. Li's style of prehistoric art is vastly different than the majority of Paleo-Artists I have featured. It is colorful, deep, bright, and for lack of a better word, just plain cool! Dinosaurs and Marine reptiles we all know from the movies. Dilophosaurus, Brachiosaurus, Mosasaurus, Tyrannosaurus, Stegosaurus, Pachycephalosaur, The Indoraptor and more! What is most impressive about his work is that while it is obviously more of an Anime style, his animals are still for the most part biologically accurate. Which in reference t
