Hello folks who are still wondering how butterflies get their name and whether butter in the past came in different flavors,
The first time you look at a Big-headed ant you might think that is a misnomer, since their heads are not necessarily bigger than any other ant. Sure, this could be a name the school bully would call it while it would cross paths at the school lockers. But then you would be looking at a minor worker...
Big-headed ants have two types of workers: majors and minors. There is one major worker for every 10 minor workers, hence you won't see a lot of major workers loitering around your parks. Both types of workers grow as the same larva- tiny and cute, but depending on the amount of protein they get fed during this time determines their size. More protein = major worker, less protein = minor worker, more soda = more chances of obesity. Below is a major worker wondering what it wants to do with its life.
Owing to their big
Below you can see the major worker challenging the minor worker to a tide pod challenge, which the minor worker politely refuses.
The next time you pass a tree that has shows signs of damage or injury, look closely at the injury. Whenever you cut your finger, you reach for the adhesive bandages but the tree has a more conventional way of protecting itself. It will produce plant resin which contains odors and chemicals which make it unpleasant to insects who are just waiting in the sidelines for a free meal.
When the resin is secreted, it will flow towards the site of the injury, on its way it will pick up any insects in its path for a free Uber ride. Sadly that Uber ride would be the last one for those insects. Stephen King, are you reading?
Below are some ants that were unlucky to be in the path of the resin.
The resin then solidifies and if left untouched and buried for millions of years along with the tree, it can become an hard yellowish and see through substance called amber. This is important because it offers us a portal into the past about which insects roamed the earth a million years ago. Since their body is relatively unharmed in this tomb, this is equivalent to the Egyptian practice of Mummification.
Below is a termite fossil that has been trapped in amber for 22 million years. This is on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.
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