Nov 26, 2020
These Ants Suit Up in a Protective ‘Biomineral Armor’ Never Seen Before in Insects
Posted by Raphael Ramos in category: food
Scientists find that A. echinatior ants have biomineral armour to help them in battle with other ants and protect them from pathogens. 😃
Ants are pretty organised little creatures. Highly social insects, they know how to forage, build complicated nests, steal your pantry snacks, and generally look after the queens and the colony, all by working together.
Leaf-cutter ants turn that cooperation up several notches. Leaf-cutter ant colonies like Acromyrmex echinatior can contain millions of ants, split into four castes that all have different roles to maintain a garden of fungus that the ants eat.