The Greatest Sacrifice

It wasn’t until I moved from the East Coast to the West Coast that my opinion on ants changed from “loathsome menace” to “fascinating hive beasts”. In my journey toward armchair entomology I’ve come across a number of strange and fascinating ants, but somehow overlooked this spiteful creature.

Camponotus Saundersi (Latin for “Fuck you, buddy”) has two glands filled with toxins running the length of its body. Any animal aiming to make this ant a meal is subject to the toxins in those glands. But poison animals are so passe. Camponotus Saundersi goes one spiteful step further than those half-assing poison hoarders. When cornered the ant will clench its glands, resulting in an explosion of toxins. Yes that’s right, this ant will suicide bomb a predator rather than allow itself to suffer the indignity of digestion.

Any animal that would commit willful self destruction just to spite its antagonist is OK in my book.

The Exploding Lake & other weird natural detonations [Dark Roasted Blend]