Amazing Ants Ambush Prey from Foxholes

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A close up of the ants in their foxholes. © Alain Dejean and Jerome Orivel

A crafty ant species builds a trap dotted with foxholes for surprise attacks

Such incredible cooperation among ants has never before been described by scientists.

Here's how it works:

An insect lands on the trap,

The ambush is well orchestrated, as University of Toulouse researcher Jerome

"Allomerus workers hide in the galleries with their heads just under the holes,

The ants then slide the prey across the gallery, again moving in and out of

The key to building the trap is a fungus that the ants cultivate. The fungus

"It is something manufactured by the ants from elements coming from the plant and the environment," he said in an email interview. "Contrary to social spiders which are also collectively building a trap (their web) from the silk they produce, the trap of Allomerus is made from external products."

"To our knowledge, the collective creation of a trap as a predatory strategy

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Robert Roy Britt
Robert Roy Britt

Robert is an independent health and science journalist and writer based in Phoenix, Arizona. He is a former editor-in-chief of Live Science with over 20 years of experience as a reporter and editor. He has worked on websites such as Space.com and Tom's Guide, and is a contributor on Medium, covering how we age and how to optimize the mind and body through time. He has a journalism degree from Humboldt State University in California.