Ants have self-made biomineral body armour

Researches from the University of Wisconsin-Madison have discovered a whitish granular coating of high-magnesium calcite on the exoskeleton of leaf-cutter ants. Although common among crustaceans such as crabs, calcareous anatomical structure serving as a protective power is previously unknown in the insect world. Leafcutter ants are indeed tough insects. These they chew up the leaves to feed underground fungus farms on which they sustain. Scientists aren’t sure why the ants needed protection enough to evolve their own natural body armour. They theorise that it could serve as an armour. They theorise that it could serve as an armour when encountering predators or to safeguard them from diseases. The researchers found that the ants are not born with the coating, rather develop it rapidly as they mature, and it significantly hardens the exoskeleton.

Did you know?

Calcite with high levels of magnesium is also found in the teeth of sea urchin, which help them chomp through just about anything. Sea urchins have five teeth, each held by a separate jaw in a circular arrangements at the centre of their spiked, spherical bodies. They use their teeth to crunch on brittle starfish, coral reefs, or even rocks.

 

Picture Credit : Google