last updated 4.Sept.2008 |
Thaumatomyrmex (the miracle ant) Few ants have beguiled myrmecologists as much as Thaumatomyrmex, a rare and bizarre spider-like creature of Neotropical forests. For a long time the function of the pitchfork jaws remained a mystery, but a team of Brazilian entomologists solved the puzzle in 1991. These ponerine ants are predators of dangerously spiny polyxenid millipedes, and the jaws allow the ant to keep its prey at a safe distance while carefully stripping away the spines.
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