Ant From Mars? No, Just a New Species

A new species of Ant has been found in the Amazon rainforest. Seeing as we are losing many species of animals all the time, and with the polar bear and other animals facing extinction, it is nice to hear about scientists identifying a new species. I only hope that the Martialis heureka, which translates roughly to "ant from Mars," can survive all of us.

Christian Rabeling, from the University of Texas, along with scientists around the world, say that this species is probably a direct descendant of the very first ants to exist and evolve. Where did ants come from? They appeared on the earth about 120 million years ago from wasp ancestors and then probably evolved quickly into many different lineages, with ants specializing to live in the soil, leaf-litter or trees, or becoming generalists. I am so glad they lost their sting when moving from wasp to ant!

Genetic tests on the 3 mm-long "ant from Mars" show that it emerged at the very earliest stages of ant evolution, and is named due to its unusual features. It is a pale-bodied and blind predator that uses oversized jaws to capture prey. This discovery will help us understand evolution and also the many questions we have on how pre-historic creatures survived or died.

Perhaps our new ant has been hanging with the old Pink Panther ant below. Seems like he has all the right moves and tricks to survive through the ages.