Meet the Turtle Ant

By Minnesotastan in Animals & Pets on Apr 17, 2010 at 5:07 pm

Cephalotes varians ants live in pre-existing cavities in trees and branches, so one class of their workers has developed a most unusual adaptation.

Turtle ants aren’t fighters. Rather, they’re all about defense. If a colony gets hold of an old beetle burrow, the heavily armored majors will plug the entrance with their head shield and sit tight, budging only to let their nestmates pass. They are literally living doors.

Found at Myrmecos.  Elsewhere in the blog you can read about “formicophilia” (a newly named paraphilia).


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  1. felixthecat
    Apr 17th, 2010 at 5:54 pm

    I <3 the turtle ant.

  2. W
    Apr 17th, 2010 at 6:32 pm

    Ants are the rightful stewards of this planet, not humans.

  3. Lol
    Apr 17th, 2010 at 6:55 pm

    Mmmm, chocolate

  4. BikerRay
    Apr 18th, 2010 at 3:55 am

    Looks like Whoopi Goldberg’s character Guinan in Star Trek. http://www.google.ca/images?hl=en&q=Guinan+star+trek

  5. Foreigner1
    Apr 19th, 2010 at 2:41 am

    Hey- Were these also on Noah’s Ark…?

    Wow…!

  6. martin
    Jul 15th, 2010 at 2:57 am

    intriguing, how does evolution work on this case? communities that have more door-shape-headed guards are more successful so they slowly become dominant? because inside the community the selection doesn’t work, on individual ant level. ant colony is actually mother ant and all other (workers) are it’s limbs, antennae etc, like body parts. only mother’s (and father’s) genes count.


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