A newly discovered speciesof ant may look harmless onthe outside, but inside theseinsects are ticking timebombs. When attacked, Co-lobopsis explodens ants liveup to their name — they ex-plode! The blast releasespoisonous yellow goo thatstops their enemies in theirtracks.

C. explodens are found inthe tropical jungles of Bor-neo. They live in colonies ofthousands, high up in thetreetops, said Alice Laciny,an entomologist. She andother scientists recentlyidentifi��ed 15 species of ex-ploding ants, including thepreviously unknown C.explodens.

Ant colonies can containseveral queens that lay eggs,along with workers whocare for the queens andtheir young. Colonies alsohave soldiers with large,

plug-shaped heads andstrong legs. Such features al-low them to “act like livingdoors, barricading the nestentrances from the inside,”said Ms. Laciny.

It latches onto an enemyand squeezes its own abdo-minal muscles hard enoughthat its backside burstsopen, releasing the goo. Itsacrifi��ces itself to kill its riv-al. You need to be very care-ful. Just a touch with the fi��n-ger can make themexplode,” she said. NY TIMES

C. explodens releases deadly chemicalWarren Drimmer

Colony fi��rst: C. explodens, indark red, attacking a weaverant. * NYT

Ant that explodesto kill its enemy