Ants also know how to rebel against oppressors

A new study found that slave ants sometimes rebelled against the rulers and 'ripped apart,' seeing the children of the ants oppressing them.

The species of American ant antipersonnel Protomognathus americanus often raided the nest of a neighboring ant species (Temnothorax longispinosus) , killing mature individuals and capturing other young ants as slaves.

When returning to their nest, the invading ants will make slave ants give food, protect the nest and take care of their larvae.

A slave owner (left) is demanding an ant
Slave worker treats food. (Photo: Live Science)

Live Science page quoted researcher Susanne Foitzik from Johannes Gutenberg University (Germany), saying: ' Maybe, at first, slave ants were not aware of other species' larvae. However, when the larvae develop into nymphs, 'nanny' ants have discovered another species based on the epidermal signs, and become hostile to them.

The enslave ants either neglected the "slave "'s children or attacked the nymphs directly, often " tearing, braking " them. Ms. Foitzik's team observed that a large number of larvae of ants ' owners were killed by slave ants.

The "nanny" ants gather, attack the larval council of the slave owner. (Photo: Live Science)

Under normal conditions, larvae of P. americanus ants have an 85% chance of survival. However, the researchers found that this ratio decreased when slave ants took care of them. For example, in the ants in West Virginia (USA), only 27% of larvae survived, while in territories in New York and Ohio, this proportion was recorded as 49. % and 58%.

Because the phenomenon was discovered in various residential communities across the three states of the United States, the team believed that the rebellious behavior was common in the slave ants T. longispinosus. They claim that these destructive actions can reduce the power of slave-owners communities and prevent them from carrying out further attacks on T. longispinosus ants.

The whole study has just been published in the latest issue of Evolutionary Ecology magazine.