DAILY STAR
A tiny ant could push lions to the brink of extinction after invading the plains of East Africa, say boffins.
The big headed ant has begun to drive out native ants that protect acacia trees, leaving the trees to be ravaged by animals such as elephants. This has left lions with a lack of hiding places to stalk their prey, making it harder for them to hunt.
The discovery was made by University of Florda researchers in the Ol Pejeta Nature Conservancy, an African wildlife area in central Kenya.
Historically acacia trees are protected from leaf-eating animals, such as elephants and giraffes, by a species of ant, called an acacia ant, that nest in the thorns.
Professor Todd Palmer from the University of Florida said: “Much to our surprise, we found that these little ants serve as incredibly strong defenders and were essentially stabilising the tree cover in these landscapes, making it possible for the acacia trees to persist in a place with so many big plant-eating mammals.”
The arrival of the invasive big headed ant has caused disruption to this system, as they are destroying the tree-protecting colonies but not defending the trees themselves. Having lost their bodyguards, the acacia trees are being obliterated by elephants, meaning that lions have lost the cover they need to successfully ambush zebras.
