It sounds like a creature straight out of a low-budget sci-fi movie or an exaggerated depiction: an ant that acts as a living bomb to protect its colony from invaders.
It was claimed that a species of ant native to Borneo rainforests will intentionally blow itself up when under attack, showering enemies with a deadly, toxic secretion.
Is there really a species of exploding ant creeping through our local jungles, or is this just another internet tall tale?
VERDICT:
TRUE
Borneo is indeed home to Colobopsis Explodens, a species of tree-dwelling ant.
When their nest comes under threat from enemy insects or larger predators, the minor worker ants deploy an extreme method of colony defence known scientifically as autothysis—or self-sacrificial rupture.
By flexing their abdominal muscles, the ants intentionally rupture their own body walls. The explosive burst instantly kills the ant, releasing a bright yellow, sticky, and highly toxic secretion produced by its enlarged mandibular glands.
The viscous goo glues the attacker in place while the chemical toxins incapacitate or kill it, effectively preventing enemy forces from breaching the nest.
While the concept of exploding ants was first documented over a century ago, Colobopsis explodens was officially named and described as a distinct species in 2018 following extensive research in the Bornean canopy.
So, if you ever spot these tiny reddish-brown insects while trekking through the forests of Sabah or Sarawak, keep your distance—they are quite literally walking chemical landmines.
References:
https://antwiki.org/wiki/
https://www.
