In crazy vs. fire, the ant with the detox dance wins

摘要

Tawny crazy ants pick fights with fire ants and win, thanks to a previously unknown way of detoxifying fire ant venom. When dabbed with the venom, the crazy ants (Nylanderia fulva) curl their hind ends up between their legs and secrete droplets of formic acid, says ecol-ogist Edward LeBrun of the University of Texas at Austin. The ants then give themselves vigorous rubdowns, smearing the acid on their bodies, LeBrun and his colleagues report in the Feb. 28 Science. Most survive the attack.