There Is a Species of Ant That Explodes

In the rainforest canopies of Borneo, a territorial dispute can end with a dramatic act of self-destruction. When threatened by a rival insect, a minor worker of the species *Colobopsis explodens* will often latch onto its enemy with its mandibles. It then violently contracts its abdominal muscles, causing its own body wall to rupture. This suicidal defense mechanism unleashes a sticky, toxic (Review) yellow secretion from its oversized mandibular glands, a substance that both entangles and poisons the aggressor.

This process, known as autothysis, is an extreme form of altruism. While the phenomenon of "exploding ants" has been known to science for over a century, *C. explodens* was the first new species of its kind to be formally described since 1935, highlighting how much we still have to learn about the natural world. The individual ant dies, but its sacrifice serves the greater good of the colony, protecting the nest and its relatives from harm.

The potent chemical cocktail is more than just a poison; researchers have described it as having a distinctively spicy