# Senckenberg describes 47-million-year-old owl Masillastrix blattophaga with a cockroach in its stomach

- Published: 2026-11-05 19:05 UTC
- Section: Life & Health › Biology & biochemistry
- Tags: Masillastrix blattophaga, Messel pit, 47 million year old owl, fossil stomach contents, iridescent cockroach, Senckenberg Research Institute, evolution of owls, Gerald Mayr, Sonja Wedmann
- URL: https://realtech.media/news/rt-046630bf1cacac4ba85ac9aa_senckenberg_describes_47/

**A small owl fossil from the Messel pit preserves its last meal, an iridescent cockroach. According to the researchers, the find points to daytime hunting in early owls.**

![Senckenberg describes 47-million-year-old owl Masillastrix blattophaga with a cockroach in its stomach](https://sgzwpqqelzmajkcubgkl.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/rt-media/2026/11/769ed702044e9cec.jpg)
*tagesschau.de*

Researchers at the Senckenberg Research Institute have for the first time scientifically described a previously unknown owl species, reports hessenschau.de. The excavation team found the fossil in 2025 in the Messel pit near Darmstadt. The bird is 47 million years old, its feathers are still recognizable, and the contents of its stomach have survived: the remains of a blue-green iridescent cockroach. [1]

## Skeleton and stomach contents

The skeleton is complete except for the skull. According to Frankfurt ornithologist Gerald Mayr, the small owl was about the size of a present-day Eurasian pygmy owl and had strikingly short, strong feet. [1] The species is named Masillastrix blattophaga. What it actually looked like can only be guessed. Mayr speculates that it may have resembled a cross between a falcon and an owl.

The researchers say this is the world's first unambiguous evidence of identifiable insect remains in the stomach of a fossil bird. [1] A second, better-preserved cockroach, found only a few metres away, helped identify the insect. The iridescence comes from the structure of the chitin shell: light is refracted at tiny structures of the outer cover, not by pigments. In Messel these structures are exceptionally well preserved, Mayr explains.

## A daytime hunter

Sonja Wedmann, an entomologist at Senckenberg and head of the Messel excavation, notes that, unlike many other cockroach groups, living iridescent species are active by day. This suggests the owl also hunted in daylight. [1] Other features of the fossil point the same way. The bird had comparatively short wings and smooth feather edges instead of finely serrated ones. In modern owls such serrations allow near-silent flight at night. From this the researchers conclude that owls became nocturnal hunters later in their evolution, presumably 47 to 34 million years ago. [1]

According to Wedmann, the area of today's southern Hesse looked very different 47 million years ago. A dense subtropical rainforest with tall trees and lianas surrounded a small crater lake, and it was about ten degrees warmer than today. Many animals ended up in the lake and sank to its oxygen-poor bottom, where their remains were exceptionally well preserved. This is why Messel yields not only bones but also feathers, fur, colours and stomach contents. The pit has been a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site since 1995.

Messel fossils are also on show at the Senckenberg Museum in Frankfurt, in the special exhibition "Ganz schön warm hier! Leben und Sterben in Messel". It opened for the Messel anniversary year 2025 and has been extended until further notice.

## Sources

1. [hessenschau.de](https://www.hessenschau.de/kultur/kakerlake-im-magen-gibt-aufschluss-was-eine-47-millionen-jahre-alte-eule-aus-messel-verraet-v1,eule-grube-messel-100.html)
2. [tagesschau.de](https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/regional/hessen/hr-kakerlake-im-magen-gibt-aufschluss-was-eine-47-millionen-jahre-alte-eule-aus-messel-verraet-100.html)

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Source: RealTech, realtech.media — https://realtech.media/news/rt-046630bf1cacac4ba85ac9aa_senckenberg_describes_47/