Inclusion (infix) is a term often found in amber descriptions, but what does this name conceal? Inclusion is most often associated with a plant or animal enclosed in the middle, and with a high price of a lump. However, not always this association is correct. Inclusion is something that is inside amber – it can be a plant, an animal, an organic debris, but also a drop of water or air. Inclusion is simply whatever, that naturally is trapped in liquid resin. Inclusion can be air bubbles or covered with pyrite husks. Inclusions can be divided into inorganic – pyrite, water, air bubbles, etc. and organic – plants, animals or their remains.

The resin flowing from the trees was a specific, sticky trap that worked like sticky trap, lava, drop and puddle. This versatile way of doing so allows you to imprison animals with different motor activity and environments. However, the amber trap on one side was versatile but on the other very selective. Animals or plants to sink in the resin had to be of negligible size, be a resident or at least visit the amber forest and be able to contact with a sticky resin. They also had to stay in this resin – not to escape from it, not to be eaten when entrapped sticky trap, not to rot away and crumble, before the dead insect carcass would be covered with another layer of resin.

It is no wonder that in the ateliers of amber-workers the nuggets with inclusions represent only a small percentage of amber. Not every one of them is precious, but each is a unique phenomenon of nature.

Thanks to inclusions we learn what lived and sometimes even what happened millions of years ago. The method of operation of the amber trap caused the inclusions are dominated by small invertebrates, but their “footprint” in amber also vertebrates left. Plant inclusions are the most common, the small size so-called starry hairs, larger fragments of plants like twigs, leaves or flowers belong to unique findings.