The Exploding Ants of Borneo

Believe it or not, the title of this article is not clickbait.

This ant is Colobopsis saundersi:

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Colobopsis saundersi, image from AntWeb

This ant is from Borneo, and other places:

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Species range of C. saundersi, screenshot from AntMaps

This ant explodes:

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C. saundersi exploding, killing a Camponotus attacker. Photo: Mark Moffett/Minden Pictures

The exploding ants of Borneo (which include C. saundersi and a few other species) contain an impressive quantity of toxic chemicals inside mandibular gland reservoirs that have remarkably expanded to fill a large portion of the body. These ants are able to rupture their bodies, covering an attacker in the chemicals, killing both the attacker and itself.

Pretty cool.