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A terrifying new species of cockroach has been discovered preserved in 100 million-year-old amber.

While it looks little like its modern relatives, researchers have discovered that the 1cm creature has a number of unique features that made it a ferocious hunter.

Scientists say the 'pursuit predator', which lived alongside the dinosaurs, stalked its prey in the dead of night and would have been able to give larger creatures a nasty nip.

A terrifying new species of cockroach has been discovered preserved in 100 million-year-old amber. While it looks little like its modern relatives, researchers have discovered that the 1cm creatures has a number of unique features that made it a ferocious hunter

Dubbed Manipulator modificaputis, the perfectly preserved specimen has a triangular, manoeuvrable head, with large eyes and a relatively large neck.

It also boasts an extra set of modified eyes on the top of its head, a narrow body, wing, long legs and large mouthparts.

Researchers at Geological Institute of Bratislava and the Slovak Academy of Sciences claim that these characteristics were used to effectively hunt prey, in a way not seen by cockroaches today.

The amber-encased creature, found by researcher Ziggi Ellenberger in modern day Myanmar, was initially thought to be a preying mantis.

Dubbed Manipulator modificaputis, the perfectly preserved specimen has a triangular, manoeuvrable head, with large eyes and a relatively large neck

On the left is a location map showing where the cockroach was found. from the Cretaceous Myanmar amber The forearm length, which is 8.3mm is shown in C and D

'After the first look I knew it was something new,' Dr Peter Vršanský told BBC Earth. 'Nothing similar runs on Earth today.'

He says the viscous cockroach hunted at night, by itself on high grounds where it could seize its prey with its extremely long feet.

A number of similar preserved insects have found in the area in Noije Bum, which Vršanský claims is the important site of dinosaur-age amber in the world.

They show that during the early Cretaceous period, when it lived, various predatory cockroach-like lineages existed.

Most of these species have today gone extinct, apart from the praying mantis, which belongs to the family as the cockroaches.

Scientist hope the discovery will help reconstruct the history of these creatures and their environment.

He says the viscous cockroach hunted at night, by itself on high grounds where it could seize its prey by flying short distances with the pictured wings