Page 114 - World of Animals - Deadly Predators

15 1. How do meat

Amazing ants hunt?
Meat ants outpace their
competition with determination,
facts numbers and dirty tactics.
Operating in open areas, going
out to forage in large bands,
they can withstand scorching
midday heats of more than 40
degrees Celsius (104 degrees
Fahrenheit), running faster as
the mercury rises. While other
ants rest, swarms of meat ants
chase down giant insects and
strip the flesh from abandoned
carcasses. To make sure they’re
not followed, they block up the
holes of other ant nests with
stones and twigs.

These meat ants
Australia’s
can strip a carcass

to bones in just seven days

carnivorous ants

Words Laura Mears
© Patrick Kavanagh

2. What happens 6. How do meat ant
colonies work?
when meat ants fight? 4. What does a Unlike other ants, meat ants
meat ant nest
Meat ants have huge, powerful mandibles look like? aren’t automatically born as
capable of tearing the heads off other Meat ants clear a worker or a soldier; they
insects. They mark the edges of their plants away from change their jobs as they
the top of their
territories with lines of grizzled ant age. The youngest ants
nests and cover the
warriors; the colony members with the become nurses, looking
surface in gravel.
biggest and most powerful jaws. Most after the nest, eggs and
This helps to capture
of the time, though, these jaws are just the heat of the Sun, larvae. When they’re older
for show. Meat ants fight in rituals, using keeping their eggs they become foragers,
stereotyped posturing to warn other ants and larvae warm. It going out in large teams
away. They meet, they touch antennae, also makes the nests to search for prize food
their mandibles flare, and they start to easy to spot. They sources. Then they become
look like bare, oval-
grab and snip. Then they stand side to scouts, going out on
shaped mounds with
side and begin boxing with their legs dangerous solo missions to
more than 20 tiny
before releasing foul warning smells. retrieve smaller food items
entrance holes.
Finally, one ant submits, bows and leaves. and nest materials. Finally,
they become soldiers, using
their large mandibles to
3 . Why are they © Steve Shattuck defend the colony.

called meat ants?
These insects are 5. Do meat ants only eat meat?

expert carcass Meat ants are skilful hunters, but they also have a softer
cleaners. Australian side. They like sugar, and they’re willing to give up their

farmers sometimes carnivorous tendencies to get it. Rather than eating

leave dead animals on aphids, butterfly caterpillars and jassid nymphs, they
meat ant nests. When choose to protect them. In return, the insects provide

they return, bones are sweet drops of honeydew.
all that remain.

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