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Animals from A-Z

Phasmid

(engl: Phasmid)

Ants as a "babysitter" 

The females drop their eggs one by one on the ground. Australian fire ants collect the eggs as they look like plant seeds. They then transport them to the storage chambers of the ant nest. Their shell is so thick that the ants cannot crack it. Due to the climate in the ants nest, the nymphs can develop and hatch there. In the first few days, they look so much like fire ants that they can escape the nest, intact.

Scientific Surname Phasmatodea
Order Phasmatodea
Family Phasmatidae
Distribution South East Asia
Habitat tropical forests
Food plants
Livestock declining