Advertisement
Wild Things: Life as We Know It
Chewing dinosaurs, climate change, self-sacrificing ants and black bears
By Amanda Bensen, T.A. Frail, Megan Gambino, Anika Gupta and Sarah Zielinski
Smithsonian magazine, December 2008
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
When Forelius ants retire for the night, one or more workers remain outside, kicking sand to seal the entrance. (Tom Wenseleers)
Scientists in Brazil have observed an unusual act of selflessness. When Forelius ants retire for the night, one or more workers remain outside the colony, kicking sand to seal the entrance. If that protects those within from predators or rain, it also dooms the outside ants to die overnight of exposure. It's the first known case of "pre-emptive self-sacrifice" among insects.
Additional Sources
"Sauropod Gigantism," P. Martin Sander and Marcus Clauss, Science, October 10, 2008
"Unanticipated consequences of ocean acidification: A noisier ocean at lower pH," Keith C. Hester et al., Geophysical Research Letters, October 1, 2008
"Preemptive Defensive Self-Sacrifice by Ant Workers," Adam Tofilski et al., The American Naturalist, November 2008
"Carnivores, urban landscapes, and longitudinal studies: a case history of black bears," Jon P. Beckmann and Carl W. Lackey, Human-Wildlife Conflicts, Fall 2008
"Primate hunting by bonobos at LuiKotale, Salonga National Park," Marin Surbeck and Gottfried Hohmann, Current Biology, October 14, 2008
Share
Digg
StumbleUpon
Reddit
Comments