WEBVTT - BrainStuff Classics: What Made the Prehistoric 'Hell Ant' So Diabolical?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff production of iHeart Radio. Hey brain Stuff.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm Lauren voc Obaum and this is another classic episode

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<v Speaker 1>from our previous host, Christian Sagar. This one talks about

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<v Speaker 1>perhaps the smallest of the completely wild prehistoric creatures, the

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<v Speaker 1>hell ant. Hey brain Stuff is Christian Sagar. Here, fire ants,

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<v Speaker 1>carpenter ants, bull ants. There are a lot of ant

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<v Speaker 1>species that can cause a great deal of harm. The

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<v Speaker 1>worst one alive today, according to the Guinness World Records,

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<v Speaker 1>is the bulldog aunt. It has killed at least three humans,

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<v Speaker 1>some within fifteen minutes. But perhaps the worst aunt ever

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<v Speaker 1>was the hell aunt, a prehistoric insect that was recently

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<v Speaker 1>discovered incased in a chunk of Myanmar amber dating to

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<v Speaker 1>the Late Cretaceous period. Evolutionary biologist Philip Barden of the

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<v Speaker 1>New Jersey Institute of Technology and his team wrote about

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<v Speaker 1>the hell aunt discovery in the journal Systemic Entomology. The

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<v Speaker 1>hell aunt got its name from its anatomy and behavior.

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<v Speaker 1>Instead of having a typical mouth, the hell aunt had

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<v Speaker 1>blades that stuck upward, think like tusks, plus a horn

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<v Speaker 1>that was reinforced with metal. Scientists don't know for sure

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<v Speaker 1>how the hell aunt used its unusual appendages, but they

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<v Speaker 1>have some theories. First, it seems clear that the ant's

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<v Speaker 1>tusks and horn were mainly used for catching prey, So

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<v Speaker 1>here's one possible m O. When it came to finding dinner.

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<v Speaker 1>When a tasty insect passed nearby, the hell ance jaw

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<v Speaker 1>tusks would flip the insect up and onto its horn,

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<v Speaker 1>impaling it. Spearing prey does take a toll, though, which

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<v Speaker 1>is probably why the hell ants horn was clad with metal.

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<v Speaker 1>And if that isn't gruesome enough, researchers say this prehistoric

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<v Speaker 1>insect might have had some vampire like tendencies to When

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<v Speaker 1>the ants snagged its prey, its tusk like jaws clothes

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<v Speaker 1>to form a gutter, which may have been a means

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<v Speaker 1>of funneling the insects blood right down into the ant's gullet.

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<v Speaker 1>The hell ants, scientifically known as Lingua mirmes vlady, was

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<v Speaker 1>discovered in a chunk of amber that was nine million

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<v Speaker 1>years old. Although it's unusual appendages were likely used to

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<v Speaker 1>catch its food, researchers say they may have occasionally been

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<v Speaker 1>used defensively. This is not the only insects sporting metal, either.

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<v Speaker 1>Some present day termite species actually have zinc and manganese

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<v Speaker 1>in their mandibles. However, there are no modern ants similarly equipped.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's episode was written by Melanie Redzeeki McManus and produced

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<v Speaker 1>by Tristan McNeil and Tyler Clang. For more in this

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<v Speaker 1>monts of other metal topics, visit how Stuff Works dot M.

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