When confronted by an enemy, Southeast Asian “exploding ants” do exactly what their name implies: they explode. Ignored for decades, researchers have completed a detailed survey of these enigmatic ants, discovering over a dozen species that fit into this group, including one that’s completely new to science.
Ants are capable of amazing prosocial behaviors, such as creating bridges and life rafts out of their bodies, collecting wounded comrades from the battlefield, and even administering medical care. But in terms of self-sacrifice, there’s nothing quite like the tree-dwelling “exploding ants” of Southeast Asia, who are willing to give up their lives to protect their colony.
Confronted by a threat, such as a predatory insect, a minor worker can deliberately rupture its abdominal wall. The ant doesn’t literally explode in a Michael Bay sort of way, but the desperate measure causes a sticky and toxic liquid to pour out from its bloated glands—a noxious substance that’s capable of killing the intruder. It’s a final fatal act for our exploding protagonist, but the ant is truly going out in a blaze of glory; by deploying this form of chemical warfare, the ant does its part to protect the colony.=read more
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