A prehistoric hell ant that lived among dinosaurs 113 million years ago had an unusual way to kill its prey and sheds new light on insect evolution, researchers have found.

Scientists have identified the fossilized remains of the oldest-known ant - a winged insect with fearsome scythe-like jaws that lived about 113 million years ago during the age of dinosaurs and was preserved in limestone unearthed in northeastern Brazil.

The fossil of a 113-million-year-old hell ant, believed to have lived among dinosaurs, has now become the oldest ant specimen known to science, according to a new study.