Ants That Explode To Protect Its Colony Discovered In Borneo

Photo: SimonDannhauer (Getty Images)

Ants should probably get more respect that than do. Not only do these tiny bugs team up to move heavy objects, and not only do they create life-rafts out of their bodies, but now a particular ant literally explodes to protect their colony. Now that’s sacrifice.

According to Gizmodo, the Southeast Asian “exploding ants” are all about taking themselves out for the betterment of their family. When confronted by a threat, these ants,  who have the scientific name Colobopsis explodens, can actually rupture its abdominal wall and cause a “sticky and toxic liquid to pour out from its bloated glands—a noxious substance that’s capable of killing the intruder.”

Gizmodo

Scientists call this “autothysis,” a suicidal behavior that’s also been documented in some termites. Indeed, it’s the kind of Borg-like collective behavior that can only emerge among super-social organisms. Unlike the individuals of most species, who seek to preserve and proliferate their genes, ants and termites work on behalf of the entire colony; the loss of an individual, while not ideal, is secondary to the needs of the collective, which is why ants are referred to as a superorganism.

Scientists have known about exploding ants for over a hundred years. Several species were documented during the first half of the 20th century, and a new species group called Colobopsis cylindrica was created to describe them. Strangely, however, no new species was identified after 1935, owing to a dearth of evidence. That seemed weird to scientists, prompting a recent expedition to Borneo, Thailand, and Malaysia by an interdisciplinary research team from the Natural History Museum Vienna, Technical University Vienna, and other contributing institutions.

The results of their survey, published today in the science journal ZooKeys, identifies 15 separate species of exploding ants, including one that’s completely new to science. The new species is called Colobopsis explodens.

We like to call it nature’s badass.

Well, if only there was a scene in Antz where one of the ants explode to protect its family, maybe more people would have seen it. Then again, I’ve only seen parts of that movie so maybe I missed that scene.

Can you think of any other awesome defense mechanisms that some animals have?