If you’ve ever been to the tropical rainforests found in the Southeast Asia, then you must know there are plenty of interesting species there. Among them, today we will focus on the so-called ‘exploding ants’. They are a group of arboreal ants that dwell in canopies. Moreover, they got this name thanks to a weird behavior they are exhibiting, which is unique in the entire world.
What Is The Weird Behavior?
Now that we introduced you to this unique and interesting species, it’s time to know what their special behavior is. When they are threatened, they make an effort to break their body wall. This will naturally lead to their death. But besides this, the ‘explosion’, as it was called, releases a special toxic liquid from their large glands. The sticky substance will kill or hold off the enemy.
The species has been discovered some time ago, when their behavior was noted in 1916. Before, they were nicknamed the Yellow Goo for the color of their secretion, but their official name is Colobopsis explodens. Only in 1935 there were some official description of them. The lack of information is due to the fact that there wasn’t enough evidence about them.
Future Research
Obviously, scientists intend to find out more about this species. Currently, they have been called a ‘model species’. But what does this mean? More exactly, the researchers will rely on them to make important discoveries in the future about the exploding ants. They are currently preparing several publications about their chemical profile, anatomy, behavior, microbiology, and evolution. Moreover, there are other new species that will be described soon enough.
Finally, we can’t deny that the exploding ants play a dominant role in the rainforests on earth. At the same time, there are plenty of secrets we don’t know about them yet.
As our second lead editor, Anna C. Mackinno provides guidance on the stories Great Lakes Ledger reporters cover. She has been instrumental in making sure the content on the site is clear and accurate for our readers. If you see a particularly clever title, you can likely thank Anna. Anna received a BA and and MA from Fordham University.