Sometimes mother nature puts us to shame as far as forming partnerships.
Often these can be very surprising, and can almost stagger the imagination. I'm thinking that we might learn a thing or two from these mutually beneficial team-ups.
Stick Insects Pay Ants To Be Babysitters
Photo credit: Peter Chew
In a strange symbiotic breeding relationship, certain stick insect species lay eggs that resemble seeds sought by roving groups of ants. The ants pick up the eggs and carry them into their own colonies, protecting them from predatory wasps, fire, heat, drought, and numerous other threats to their viability and survival. In return, the ants remove the capitulum of the egg and feed it to their offspring as a highly nutritious food.
The unlikely relationship between these two insects is a fair bargain. The stick insect eggs suffer little or no harm from the ants removing the edible part. After the capitulum is removed, the ants ignore the eggs, which can then hatch in relative safety.
I find it interesting that insects can act more civilized at times than many folks I know. That's kinda sad, ya know?
Coffee in the kitchen this morning. Raining again!
