Thread: Nature
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Kitsa Kitsa is offline
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Old Oct 4th, 2009, 09:38 AM       
drosera, sundew, yeah. Very cool I've only ever seen one, and not in the wild...just in a terrarium

Edit: the lime taste (lime because it's green?) is formic acid. Ants squirt formic acid from their asses when they're threatened; I'm guessing having their asses licked is perceived as enough of a threat to give you that burst of lime flavor. Most people say it's lemony, so it's interesting you went with lime. The french word fourmi, ant, comes from the same root as formic acid.

Anyway, humans aren't the only ones who learned to take advantage of it. Certain species of birds practice something called "anting"...mostly jays, who are pretty intelligent although they're asshole birds. They antagonize the ants and stuff them under their feathers. The threatened ants squirt formic acid, and the acid kills the mites that are bothering the bird. As a consequence of anting, jays are typically pretty clean birds.

Last edited by Kitsa : Oct 4th, 2009 at 09:52 AM. Reason: adding some boring biology major shit on for your benefit
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