A version of this article was originally published in the December 2017 issue of BBC Wildlife Magazine A subterranean city, a labyrinth of tunnels and chambers, home to some 300,000 inhabitants. At its centre, an aging queen surrounded by daughters; her protectors, foragers and nursemaids. Inside and out, plunderers …
[featured image] The trap ant, Allomerus decemarticulatus, is a small, unassuming South American insect, staying out of sight much of the time in nest pouches among the branches of the tree, Hirtella physophora. In this arboreal environment animal prey can be hard to come by. Any substantial insect the ants …
[featured image] As we’ve seen with the ant-mimicking spiders (see scoundrels – #8), the imitation of ants is often very elaborate because …
[featured image] Ants are pretty mean animals. They bite, some of them sting and individuals from the same nest can co-ordinate their …