Six New Dracula Ant Species Have Been Discovered In Madagascar, And They Are Brutal!

Ants are impressive creatures as they are present on every continent except for Antarctica. The global distribution of ants make them one of the most evolutionarily successful insect species in existence. Since ants have dispersed into every environment imaginable, with the exception of the arctic regions, it is not hard to understand why ant species are so numerous. Ants were forced to adapt to each location where they were introduced. This is why there exists a relatively huge amount of ant species in the world today. The number of documented ant species now surpasses fifteen thousand. Any lesser insect would have failed to adapt to harsh environmental conditions, but not ants. One of the more bizarre ants alive today is commonly known as the Dracula ant. These ants are not just aggressive, but they are also brutal and sadistic. For example, foraging Dracula ants kidnap individual ants from different colonies, but they do not eat the kidnaped ant; instead the Dracula ant colony passes their enemy’s corpse around so that each ant can get a turn feeding on its blood.

Dracula ants are notable for closely resembling the very first ant species to appear on earth. The earliest ant species are thought to have evolved from wasps. This blood-sucking ant species is officially known as Adetomyrma venatrix, and their blood-sucking preferences could be seen as an early form of trophallaxis. Trophallaxis occurs when the bodily fluids of one community member are transferred to another community member via the mouth or anus.

Three years ago researchers found six new Dracula ant species on the island country of Madagascar. These ants are reportedly among the most violent of all ant species. They are found within rotting logs with other members of their colony. These ants will go on kidnapping expeditions in order to bring a few fresh blood-meals back to their colonies. The queen, as well as several workers, waste no time biting numerous holes into the ant-prey’s lifeless body. These holes are then used to access the fallen ant’s blood while it is passed around the colony.

Do you think that a Dracula ant would attempt to obtain blood from a human?