Exploding Ants: Amazing Facts About How Animals Adapt

contents

Introduction:

Why Animals Do Gross Things

fooled ya

A Disgusting Disguise

Fatal Flashes

Murderous Nest Mates

invasion of the body snatchers

The Brainwashers

Caterpillar Guts for Breakfast

swelling, expanding, and exploding bodies

Living Honey Jars

Exploding Ants

Ballooning Birds

dog mucus and other tasty treats

A Very Slimy Supper

Parasite Pickers

A Mouthful from Mom

sucking blood

Bursting with Blood

Sticking Around

A Little Blood Between Neighbors

An Underwater Bloodsucker

getting it down

A Ball of Bones

Big, Big Gulps

Gulping Eyeballs

the mating game

A Smelly Proposal

A Permanent Connection

selected readings

About Joanne Settel

glossary

index

To Katherine, Daniel, Ethan, Willie, and Chris, lovers of nature and future writers.—J. S.

introduction

why animals do gross things

Animals often do things that seem gross to us. They eat foods that people would find nauseating. They make their homes in disgusting places and feed on mucus and blood. They swell or blow up their body parts.

But while these behaviors are nasty to us, they are critical to life on earth. They make it possible for many kinds of living things to find food, shelter, and safety. Different species make use of every possible space and gobble down every nutritious crumb of food in the natural world. If every species of animal ate the same kind of food, or lived in the same place, there simply wouldn’t be enough to go around. It would become impossible for all of the species to survive. So instead, animals specialize. One predator eats flesh, while another feeds on blood.

As a result, when it comes to eating, nothing is wasted. Almost every part of every living animal, from skin to dung to mucus, can provide food for some other species. All of these things contain good nutrients. An animal that has the right digestive organs and chemicals can easily break them down.

Similarly, when it comes to finding shelter, animals make use of any hole or space or building material that they can find. For example, the smelly, slimy holes and organs inside the body of a bigger animal can often provide a warm, protective home for small animals like insects.

Finally, animals often put their body parts to good use. Animals don’t