Amazonian ants ambush prey
Narelle Towie
Hungry ants build a 'fibreglass' trap to put food on the rack.
Hide and eat: ants lie in wait to capture a giant meal.Click here to see video.
© Universite Toulouse III Using a home-made trap, a tiny species of ant is capable of ensnaring prey much larger than itself and tearing it to pieces.
The ants (Allomerus decemarticulatus), which live in Amazonian plants called Hirtella physophora, construct a honeycomb-like structure out of their host plant's fibres from which they can stage an ambush.
The worker ants hide in the holes of this death trap with their mouths open wide, waiting for locusts, butterflies or other insects to land. When prey arrives they quickly seize its extremities, pulling on legs, arms and antennae until the hostage is rendered immobile. Once trapped, other ants from the colony arrive to sting and bite the prey until it is paralyzed (see video).
Narelle Towie
Hide and eat: ants lie in wait to capture a giant meal.Click here to see video.
© Universite Toulouse III Using a home-made trap, a tiny species of ant is capable of ensnaring prey much larger than itself and tearing it to pieces.
The ants (Allomerus decemarticulatus), which live in Amazonian plants called Hirtella physophora, construct a honeycomb-like structure out of their host plant's fibres from which they can stage an ambush.
The worker ants hide in the holes of this death trap with their mouths open wide, waiting for locusts, butterflies or other insects to land. When prey arrives they quickly seize its extremities, pulling on legs, arms and antennae until the hostage is rendered immobile. Once trapped, other ants from the colony arrive to sting and bite the prey until it is paralyzed (see video).
