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| 1949 Cootie Game (Fair Use) |
Indian jumping ants have been achieving similar feats long before Hasbro got in on the act. Their prowess, however, is innate. These bugs have the amazing ability to grow or shrink key body parts in order to compete within the colony.
There’s only one queen, and every self-respecting worker is vying for this coveted position. In order to expand their resumes, the Indian jumpers expand their ovaries. That’s because the queen is, quite literally, the mother of all ants. In order to maintain her monopoly, she needs to reproduce ad infinitum.
Contenders to her throne are remarkably able to shrink their brains and venom sacs in order to expand their ovaries. They figure that queens don’t need to think much about defending the colony. That’s what loyal underlings are supposedly for. Workers who don’t make the royal cut simply reverse these bodily processes. Their plasticity far exceeds that of even a fully-assembled Cootie.
Resources
https://www.popsci.com/story/animals/indian-jumping-ants-shrink-or-grow-brains/
Copyright April 17, 2021 by Linda Van Slyke All Rights Reserved
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