Like human armies, army ants trail crowds of hangers-on
One insect’s leavings is another’s dinner
Like human armies, army ants spell trouble for anything that finds itself in their path. The insects make a habit of killing organisms, often much larger than themselves, breaking them into pieces and dragging the morsels back to their bivouacs. But they do not eat everything. Rubbish piles full with discarded bits of prey are a feature of army ant bases.
This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Camp followers”
From the October 14th 2023 edition
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