Butterfly Young Trick Ants into Raising Them - Details

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ID:	37803
Title:	Butterfly Young Trick Ants into Raising Them - http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gxCdv0Ni1xUHBJZXWYJgky9TxevQD965JRUO1
Description:	The larvae of the European butterfly Maculinea rebeli have learned to infiltrate ant nests and trick adult ants into feeding them. The caterpillars accomplish this feat by mimicking the ants’ young. Not only do the parasitic larvae take food from the ant providers, they earn special treatment by imitating the sounds of an adult queen. In times of food shortage, these ants have been known to feed their own young to their queens, and the crafty caterpillars are thus more likely to survive periods of stress.
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Date Added:	February 08, 2009 05:00:00 AM
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