If you’re an ant the size of a sesame seed, danger can come in many forms. Maybe something is about to land on top of you. Maybe another animal is eyeing you as a snack. Regardless of the threat, ants need to know how to get away fast. Some sting their enemies, while other ants bite predators with surprisingly powerful jaws. But Myrmecina graminicola ants don’t do that. When having to choose between fight or flight, they roll. Donato Grasso is an ant ethologist and studied these rolling ants at the University of Parma, in Italy. He tells The World’s Marco Werman just how effective the rolling method is.
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