The Museum of Gdańsk has presented three of the world ‘s weirdest and finest preserved amber specimens containing wildlife from 40 million years ago, including a newly found Geko and winged insect species.
Because of the fossilized animal life contained in the translucent amber tree resin, the three pieces are termed as “inclusions”.
One is a previously unknown species and exhibits the first-ever specimen of an adult Praying Mantis found in Baltic amber.
Mantises were supposed to have magical abilities because of their triangular heads and protruding eyes, which were supported by flexible necks.
Another displays the world’s second specimen of a Geko trapped in Baltic amber, but the first to be so perfect, measuring 2cm in length and revealing the entire body and all four legs, with just the tip of the tail absent.
The German Amber Museum in Ribnitz-Damgarten has the only other one of its sort, which is also less complete.
The fossilized Geko is also of a previously unknown species and has been formally called the Gdańsk Geko on the initiative of the director of the Gdańsk Museum.
The 3rd inclusion is a spider from family mygalomorphae , which, at 4cm in length, is the world’s biggest inclusion of this species found in Baltic amber in any museum anyplace on the planet.
“The most precious amber objects should be located in Gdańsk , the World Capital of Amber,” said Waldemar Ossowski, director of the Museum of Gdańsk , speaking at the unveiling.
“With this concept, the future Museum of Amber will feature one-of-a-kind displays that no other museum in the world can match.”
The rare items will now be shown in a permanent exhibit at the new multimedia Amber Museum, which will reopen on July 24th in the Great Mill in Gdańsk following a renovation and relocation.
The items were purchased for 160 000 PLN from Jonas Damzen, a well-known Lithuanian amber collector, with the National Institute for Museums and Public Collections funding 80 percent of the acquisition.
Let us know your opinions in the comments.
