#turtle ants

Here is a video on turtle ants.

Cephalotes varians turtle ant soldiers have heads are shaped like saucers, or concave shields, which they cover with camouflaging layers of debris. They use these peculiar features to block the entrances of their nests against intruders, such as other predatory ants or invertebrates.

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The Powell lab is looking for people who want to study Turtle Ants for their PhD for fall 2024

No one is surprised that the "Blue Ant" Echinopla striata won the contest. Blue is among the most rare colors in nature, and even more rare among ants. A blue ant? Unforgettable!

In Second Place we have Tetramorium pulcherrimum, the "Teddy Bear Ant" -- we have the photos of Alex Wild to thank for this species being so loved. If you only knew this ant by her much more numerous cousins Tetramorium immigrans (these are the pavement ants that have those huge ant wars on summer sidewalks, I made a video about this war-like species, hard to imagine the Teddy Bear ant going to war!) she might not be as popular-- but careful macrophotography has helped us to see that this Tetramorium has soft fuzzy fur, probably to help her in her mossy home environment. In Third Place we have a tie! Cephalotes clypeatus and Dorylus sp. Could not be more different (in personality and appearance!) but both of these girls are unforgettable, sculptural, and lovely! If you took the concept of "bite" and distilled its essence into a little creature the Dorylus solider is what you'd get. She is "to bite" made incarnate. She has one purpose in life: to defend her nest, especially her queen (and the Dorylus queens are among the strangest ants on the planet!) Remarkably if her colony and queen should die she will join another colony-- something very rare in adult ants. She just wants a chance to bite someone who deserves it!

On the other hand we have Cephalotes clypeatus -- the Amber Turtle Ants. Turtle ants are generally some of my personal favorite ants. (There are a few species that live in the south in the US even! So I might get to meet these ants in the wild some day!)

Just look at these adorable sisters guarding their nest! Look at the way only their little mandibles peek out at the bottom! Their eyes are tucked under their shields too and they can tuck their antennae in if they need to. They are ready for all the challenges of life! These ants don't just look cute in photos, the way they move is adorable. Here is a video of their less showy cousins from the Amazon:

TURTLE ANTS Cephalotes varians ©Alex Wild

To enter her nest in a mangrove twig, a foraging worker must pass the door-guarding soldier whose head is roughly the same size and shape as the entrance. These ants don't build the nests themselves; rather, they inhabit burrows made by beetle larvae.

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I posted a Turtle Ant earlier this week, but then I came across this amazing photo (likely from the same shoot by the definitive ant photographer - Alex Wild) showing how the Turtle Ant uses its big head to block the entrance to the nest and thought it was pretty cool. So, here ya go!

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In case you missed the first post: These rare species of ants, Cephalotes varians, better known as the turtle ant has tank-like workers with heavily sclerotized head shields. They inhabit pre-existing cavities in trees and branches, a limiting resource that spurs intense competition among colonies of various tree-dwelling species. Turtle ants aren't fighters. Rather, they're all about defense. If a colony gets hold of an old beetle burrow, the heavily armored majors will plug the entrance with their head shield and sit tight, budging only to let their nest mates pass. They are literally living doors.

Source: http://scienceblogs.com/myrmecos/2010/04/answer_to_the_monday_night_mys.php

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