Trap-building ants torture their prey

[ps1074]

A fierce species of Amazonian ant has been seen building elaborate traps on which hapless prey are stretched like medieval torture victims, before being slowly hacked to pieces.

With cunning and patience, Allomerus decemarticulatus worker-ants cut hairs from the stem of the plant they inhabit, and use the tiny fibres to build a spongy snare, Nature magazine reports.

This ingenious feat of engineering has only ever been observed in one other species of related ant, French researchers say.



http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4472521.stm

[everythingsxen]

1. So you are saying...

these ants are Republican?

[xchrom]

2. yup -- that's what i read.

[Deja Q]

3. Awww, aren't they cute?

Evil. But cute.

[everythingsxen]

4. Forgive my ignorance HypnoToad..

but in your avatar, when it flashes to the penguin... does that penguin have the evil cultist symbol from Neverwinter Nights on it's stomach?