Woohoo: ant bravery

For a species that populates more than a quarter of a region’s animal biomass, it’s surprising how often ants are overlooked by human beings. It’s even more surprising when you realise just how badass these tiny creatures are, especially when it comes to defending what is theirs.

Take the Southeast Asian species of the Camponotus ant, for example. These ants are so committed to protecting their colonies that they would rather explode in the face of the enemy than be conquered. That’s right, these ants are living grenades who, when confronted by enemies, are able to contract their abdominal muscles and explode at will.

This is not the only instance of kamikazee-like behaviour: sterile workers, in turn, flood enemy colony entrances and drop bits of gravel into the hole. Although the structure is bound to collapse, these ants trade their lives for those of their enemies — an adaptation for which Darwin would award them medals of bravery.

Boohoo: ant slavery

While you can argue that ants are the bees knees when it comes to battle, some species of ants tend to use this strength for evil rather than good. A prime example is the Polyergus, or Amazon ant, whose one adapted function is simple: the destruction of enemy ant colonies and capture of ant slaves.

These ants idle about all day, burnishing their armour and commanding their slave ants around until it’s finally time to conduct a raid. At this point, the ants charge out of their hill, wielding their sabre-like mandibles, slaughtering enemy ants and seizing the cocooned ant babies.

Captured babies are returned to the nest where they are raised by the adult ant slaves. The worst part? These ant babies will never know the difference; ignorant and alone, this slave life will be their existence. No matter how successful or impressive, baby-stealing ant juggernauts are definitely not brave warriors in my book.