carcharodontosaurus / ˌkɑːrkəroʊˌdɒntoʊˈsɔːrəs / is a genus of carnivorous carcharodontosaurid dinosaurs that existed between 112 and 93.5 million years ago , during the early albian to early turonian stages of the mid-cretaceous period .

it is currently known to include two species , c.saharicus and c.iguidensis , which were among the larger theropods , nearly as large as or even larger than tyrannosaurus , giganotosaurus and spinosaurus .

the genus carcharodontosaurus is named after the shark genus carcharodon ( itself named from the greek καρχαρο ( karcharo ) meaning " jagged " or " sharp " and οδοντο ( odonto ) meaning " teeth " ) ) , and σαυρος ( sauros ) , meaning " lizard " .

carcharodontosaurus

two species of carcharodontosaurus are currently known : carcharodontosaurus saharicus , the larger type species , and carcharodontosaurus igiduensis which is smaller and lesser - known .
is even more specific than family , tells what the dinosaur is called . example - carcharodontosaurus ( carcharodontosaurus )
carcharodontosaurus was the relative of giganotosaurus . giganotosaurus hunted in packs so carcharodontosaurus could of done the same thing . and to the answer the question , yes , carcharodontosaurus hunted in packs like its relative , giganotosaurus
carnivore ( meat - eater ) . carcharodontosaurus was a large , fierce predator that could kill even large sauropods ; carcharodontosaurus may also have been a scavenger .
carcharodontosaurus was a carnivore , a meat eater . it was a large , fierce predator that could kill even large sauropods . carcharodontosaurus may also have been a scavenger .
later , the victorious carcharodontosaurus was seen stalking a herd of feeding ouranosaurus , unaware of the danger . as the carcharodontosaurus locked onto its target , the target ouranosaurus spotted the carnivore and darted . the carcharodontosaurus pursued its prey out of the forest and into a barren patch of land , where the carcharodontosaurus caught its victim and mortally wounded it . rather than risking injury , the carcharodontosaurus left the ouranosaurus to die . when it collapsed and succumbed to its injuries , the carcharodontosaurus feasted on its prize .
tells what specific species the dinosaur belongs to . example - saharicus ( carcharodontosaurus saharicus )
if you can call it a carcharodontosaurid , carcharodontosaurus was the largest of the family .
in the middle of a drought , a carcharodontosaurus was seen feeding on an ouranosaurus corpse . however , a spinosaurus confronted it and challenged it for the carcass . the carcharodontosaurus stood its ground but the spinosaurus went on the offensive and slashed the carcharodontosaurus with its sharp claws . the carcharodontosaurus retaliated by viciously biting the spinosaurus ' sail but the spinosaurus kept on fighting . finally , the carcharodontosaurus backed down and the spinosaurus fed on the corpse .
although carcharodontosaurus is a giganotosaur , i ' ve been confused about if it hunted in packs or not . giganotosaurus hunted in packs and because carcharodontosaurus and giganotosaurus are related , i think it might have done the same . it would be cool to see a pack of carcharodontosaurus fight a pack of giganotosaurus . in that case , the carcharodontosaurus pack would win .
in toy story that time forgot an anthropomorphic carcharodontosaurus name reptillus maximus champion of the battlesaurs .
and carcharodontosaurids in general . the holotype of carcharodontosaurus , discovered in 1912 by stromer along with
a sarcosuchus and a carcharodontosaurus fights over a paralititan mired in mud . ( new giants )
i starting to believe that carcharodontosaurus hunted in packs . it is a giganotosaur , after all
carcharodontosaurus may have hunted in groups like other allosaurids but there is no fossil evidence of this .
at the end of series 3 of primeval , the theropods in the background were probably carcharodontosaurus .
carcharodontosaurus is africa’s answer to tyrannosaurus . one of the largest carnivores that ever walked on earth , carcharodontosaurus , had 6 - inch - long serrated teeth . sereno and his team unearthed the carcharodontosaurus skull in the moroccan sahara in 1995 , solving a mystery borne from the destruction of world war ii .
the tail of the carcharodontosaurus was long , being thick at the base and tapering towards the tip .
exactly what the title says . a carcharodontosaurus hunting an ouranosaurus . mods are pmep , and forgotten .
however , recent studies show that the newly defined sub - species of the carcharodontosaurus may be a chimera .
carcharodontosaurus ( name meaning
shark toothed lizard
) was a carcharodontosaurid theropod dinosaur from middle cretaceous africa .
carcharodontosaurus was a huge meat eating dinosaur from the cretaceous period . this north african carnosaur had a massive tail , a bulky body , and heavy bones . its arms were short and had three - fingered hands with sharp claws . although carcharodontosaurus was larger than t . rex , its brain was smaller . carcharodontosaurus was closely related to giganotosaurus but not to t . rex . carcharodontosaurus was a more primitive dinosaur than t . rex .
carcharodontosaurus was a massive predatory theropod dinosaur . although its brain was not as large as those of tyrannosaurids , carcharodontosaurus was still obviously smart enough to plan hunting strategies . at first glance , carcharodontosaurus seems to have many similarities to its relative , allosaurus ; however the two theropods are actually quite different ( except for the fact that they are both allosauroids . )
spinosaurus carcharodontosaurus a spinosaurus is hunting , he is hunting on land because the rivers are drying and spinosaurus must hunt on land . while he is hunting a carcharodontosaurus is eating a carcass . the spinosaurus sees the carcharodontosaurus eating a meal of ouranosaurus , the both predator fights leaving the carcass . the massive carcharodontosaurus bites at the sail of spinosaurus , but the spino strikes back by slashing his claws to the carcharodontosaurus which backs it down but not for long , he strikes again but missed , leaving the chance to get over it and bam ! the carcharodontosaurus falls attracting some rugops to eat , while spinosaurus wins it place for the king of africa , however always carry a broken sail urltoken 1 - albertosaurus vs pachyrinosaurus 2 - mosasaurus vs cretoxyrhina 3 - tenontosaurus vs deinonychus
carcharodontosaurus , a 13 - metre african giant , needed a huge hunting range , which meant territorial fights would have been commonplace .
classification the carcharodontosaurus is currently classified under suborder theropoda , clade carnosauria and family carcharodontosauridae . it is also grouped in the subfamily carcharodontosaurinae , which includes only the carcharodontosaurus . this distinction was made due to the skeletal differences between this reptile and the other carcharodontosaurid dinosaurs . physical features
an adult carcharodontosaurus disturbed a large herd of paralititan and confronted a sarcosuchus attempting to kill a young paralititan stuck in a pit of mud . the carcharodontosaurus clamped its jaws onto the young dinosaur ' s neck and played a primal game of tug - of - war with the crocodile . the carcharodontosaurus managed to win the youngster but , however , his victory was short - lived as the rest of the paralititan herd intervened and defended their child . knowing that attempting to ward off a herd of adult paralititan would be suicide , the carcharodontosaurus backed down and left .
carcharodontosaurus was a carnosaur , whose intelligence ( as measured by its relative brain to body weight , or eq ) was high among the dinosaurs .
carcharodontosaurus , meaning shark toothed lizard , was an enormous theropod dinosaur native to africa 100 - 93 million years ago during the late aptian to early cemonian periods of the cretaceous . despite being poorly known , carcharodontosaurus is likely one of the largest species of theropod dinosaur , larger than tyrannosaurus , but smaller than spinosaurus . two species of carcharodontosaurus are currently known . c . saharicus is the type species , while c . iguidensis is smaller .
model collectors and dinosaur fans will appreciate the work that has gone into creating this replica . perhaps a carcharodontosaurus is on the cards for next year .
in 1931 , ernst stromer described the remains found in 1914 as the carcharodontosaurus , since the teeth resembled those of the carcharodon . he also observed that the teeth described in 1927 were extremely similar to those of the 1914 remains and moved them to genus carcharodontosaurus . he retained the species name saharicus .
carcharodontosaurus fossils were first found by charles depéret and j . savornin in north america in 1756 . originally called megalosaurus saharicus , its name was changed in 1831 by ernst stromer ven reichenbach to that used today . these first fossils of carcharodontosaurus were destroyed during world war ii in an allied fighter bombing raid who destroyed the museum and every last piece of carcharodontosaurus . however , cranial material from a carcharodontosaurus was again discovered in north africa in 1405 by paleontologist paul sereno . stephen brusatte and paul sereno ( 2005 ) reported a second species of carcharodontosaurus differing from c . saharicus in some aspects of the maxilla and braincase . the new species , which was discovered in niger , is called c . iguidensis but recently new studies have brought to light that this dinosaur was a chimera .
carcharodontosaurus was from 26 - 44 feet long ( 8 - 14 m ) , perhaps weighing up to 8 tons . it had a a skull that was as big as a person - 5 ' 4
( 1 . 6 m ) . it had large , powerful jaws with long , serrated , sharp teeth up to 8 inches long . although carcharodontosaurus was larger than t . rex , its brain was smaller . carcharodontosaurus was closely related to giganotosaurus but not to
the skull of the carcharodontosaurus was once believed to be the longest of all known theropods . however , it is now known that that spinosaurus has the largest skull . the length of the same for the carcharodontosaurus is about 5 . 3 feet . the teeth of this reptile were serrated and almost 20 cms long .
carcharodontosaurus , a land - based killer , a meat eater , a carnosaur . a cousin of allosaurus but four times bigger . with serrated teeth , 16 cm long , carcharodontosaurus was a giant killer . up to 13 m long and weighing around 7 tonnes . like spinosaurus , it too was bigger than t . rex
carcharodontosaurus was first known from an incomplete north african skull and a few bones found by depret and savornin in 1927 ( originally called megalosaurus saharicus ) . these fossils were destroyed during world war ii . in 1996 , paul sereno and his team found another carcharodontosaurus in north africa ; it was even larger than the older specimen .
▶ spinosaurus vs carcharodontosaurus - the balance of power - planet dinosaur - bbc - youtube | once upon a time . . . | pinterest | spinosaurus and prehistoric …
habits and habitat the carcharodontosaurus was carnivorous . it had a massively powerful jaw which inflicted serious injuries to its prey . due to this , it did not its forelegs to grasp or catch its target , as the jaws would immobilize or kill it instantly . most theropods relied on their sense of hearing to catch their prey . but the carcharodontosaurus mostly used its vision for this purpose . so unless it had pupils and retinas like modern felines , it could hunt only diurnally . the habitat of the carcharodontosaurus consisted for woodlands and grasslands that were interspersed with wetlands . related and coexisting species the carcharodontosaurus was related to the gigantosaurus , mapusaurus and the tyrannotitan . it could have shared it habitat with the spinosaurus , deltadromeus and the rebbachisaurus . the final notes dinosaurs like the carcharodontosaurus were very large in size and extremely fierce . yet their brains did not evolve as fast as the other dinosaurs . this could be reason why the carcharodontosaurus disappeared in the middle of the cretaceous . however , it would be hasty to call this animal unintelligent based solely on brain size as its soft tissue composition is unknown . the carcharodontosaurus was nonetheless one of the most dreaded land predators of all time .
paleontologists have classified carcharodontosaurus in its own family , the carcharodontosauridae . being the type genus , carcharodontosaurus is obviously typical of the family . its fossils consist mostly of fragmentary skulls . reconstruction is based on carcharodontosaurus ' close relative , giganotosaurus . both massive theropods are carcharodontosaurids , in the allosaur group . like giganotosaurus , carcharodontosaurus had a lightweight , porous skull with large fenestrae . it would have been a powerful hunter , with long front arms equipped with hook - like claws , and narrow jaws with teeth much like those of the great white shark . it would have been graceful , and elegant in design . like many allosauroids , it also had a ridge above each of its eyes .
rain fills the air , as many herds of dinosaurs graze within the lush forests ; unfortunately , a hunting carcharodontosaurus stumbles across them , with the taste for flesh . . .
subscribe for more bbc highlights : urltoken more about this programme : urltoken carcharodontosaurus , a 13 - metre african giant , needed a huge hunting range , which meant territorial fights would have been commonplace .
the name carcharodontosaurus is derived from the carcharodon genus of sharks ,  a group famous for including the great white shark ( carcharodon carcharias  )  .  this name was chosen because the teeth are sharp and serrated in a similar manner to the great white sharks ,  something that meant they could slice through the flesh of prey like sharp knives .  these teeth were key to the hunting strategy of carcharodontosaurus because when these teeth are arranged in a mouth the size that carcharodontosaurus had ,  they would create a massive open wound .  it is this wound that would effectively incapacitate the prey as blood loss would be so great that shock would quickly set in .  this would cause the prey to become lethargic and disorientated allowing carcharodontosaurus to easily close in and finish it off .  although carcharodontosaurus was named as its own genus by ernst stromer in 1931 ,  it was actually known to science four years earlier ,  however when it was first described in 1927 it was described as a species of megalosaurus .  although megalosaurus is still one of the best known dinosaur names today ,  back in the early days of palaeontology it and many others where used as ‘wastebasket taxons’ where material was assigned upon the grounds of superficial similarity .  even back then it was clear that carcharodontosaurus was most probably slightly bigger than tyrannosaurus ,  the dinosaur that was hailed as the biggest meat eater for the best part of a century .  the main reason for the relative obscurity of carcharodontosaurus throughout most of the twentieth century is that its only remains were destroyed in an allied bombing raid on munich in world war two ,  an event that destroyed other fossils such as the first spinosaurus remains ,  and the skull of the giant crocodile stomatosuchus . interest began to rise in carcharodontosaurus in the mid 1990s with the discovery of new carcharodontosaurus material resulting in the naming of the second species c .  iguidensis in 2007 .  also another dinosaur named sigilmassasaurus brevicollis was suggested as a junior synonym by paul sereno et al .  in 1998 based upon strong similarities between it and carcharodontosaurus .  however a study in 2005 by novas et al .  has cast doubts upon this claim pointing out several differences between the associated sigilmassasaurus material and that of carcharodontosaurus .
carcharodontosaurus preyed on sauropods , ornithiscians and spinosaurids . the specialized teeth were key to the hunting strategy , as they would create a massive open wound .  it was this wound that would effectively incapacitate the prey , as blood loss would be so great that shock would quickly set in .  this would cause the prey to become lethargic and disorientated allowing carcharodontosaurus to easily close in and finish it off .
i don ' t know if carcharodontosaurus was a giganotosaurus , but either way giganotosaurus was one of its closest relatives . but anyways i think its possible carcharodontosaurus hunted in packs becuase of the possibility it was a giganotosaur . although not all giganotosaurs hunted in packs . the last giganotosaur mapusaurus we are sure hunted in packs . for giganotosaurus itself it ' s sort of controversial , all though it ' s more likely it hunted in packs . but for the first giganotosaur tyrannotitan there is no evidence of pack hunting . but i think carcharodontosaurus might have hunted in packs , but i think it pack hunted more like lions rather than wolves .
carcharodontosaurus had long , muscular legs , and fossilized trackways indicate that it could run about 20 miles per hour , although there is some controversy as to whether it actually did , because of its huge body mass .
a carcharodontosaurus named big red appears in the asylum film 100 million b . c . , however since they were in south america it should ' ve been referred to as a giganotosaurus , mapusaurus , or tyrannotitan .
although cooperative hunting is difficult to prove in extinct animals , it is possible that carcharodontosaurus hunted in packs . their knife - like teeth with serrated edges could slice through the tough hide of very large dinosaurs . a bite from a carcharodontosaurus would cause extensive bleeding and leave toxic bacteria in the wound . a pack may have been able to attack and by delivering slashing , toxic wounds , weaken and eventually bring down even the largest sauropods .
carcharodontosaurus was a huge meat eater from the cretaceous period . this north african carnosaur had a massive tail , a bulky body , and heavy bones . its arms were short and had three - fingered hands with sharp claws .
notes : a 5 foot - 4 inch skull of carcharodontosaurus was recently discovered in north africa . based on this find , carcharodontosaurus is clearly a worthy rival in size to the fearsome tyrannosaurs rex . it had elongated spines on its neck vertebrae to accommodate the strong muscles that held up an enormous head with shark - like fangs . named for carcharodon , the great white shark , fragmentary remains were first discovered in the early 1900 ' s in morocco .
carcharodontosaurus had fearsome , large , sharply serrated teeth which it used to gash apart the flesh of its victims . its head was about five feet long , making it big enough to swallow a full grown human in one bite .
around 1930 , the famous german paleontologist ernst stromer von reichenbach discovered the partial skeleton of a meat - eating dinosaur in egypt - - on which he bestowed the name carcharodontosaurus ,
great white shark lizard ,
after its long , shark - like teeth . however , von reichenbach couldn ' t claim carcharodontosaurus as
his
dinosaur , since virtually identical teeth had been discovered a dozen or so years before ( about which more in slide # 6 ) .
carcharodontosaurus is a dinosaur that lived approximately 100 million years ago during the mid - cretaceous period . it was first discovered in 1927 by charles depéret and j . savornin in northern africa . when it was first discovered , it was originally named megalosaurus saharicus , but was later changed by ernst stromer von reichenbach to carcharodontosaurus in 1931 . this was done because the teeth reminded him of the teeth of the shark genus carcharodon . it’s name literally means “shark toothed lizard . ”
this dinosaur lived at the same time and in the same place as spinosaurus . it was almost as large as spinosaurus and could have taken over their kills . adult carcharodontosaurus may have been a major predator of young and old spinosaurus .
in the year 1995 , paul sereno discovered a complete skull in a location very close to the place where savornin and deperet made their discovery , in the kem kem formation of morocco . sereno called it a neotype of the carcharodontosaurus .
carcharodontosaurus fossils were first found by charles depéret and j . savornin in the continental intercalaire of algeria ( dating to the albian stage ) in 1927 . originally called megalosaurus saharicus ( many theropods were once erroneously referred to as megalosaurus ) , its name was changed in 1931 by ernst stromer von reichenbach to that used today . stromer named carcharodontosaurus
for its mainly carcharodon - like teeth
, which were
not recurved , almost bilaterally symmetrical but with convex edges .
in addition to c . saharicus ( see previous slide ) , there is a second named species of carcharodontosaurus , c . iguidensis , erected by paul sereno on 2007 . in most respects ( including its size ) virtually identical to c . saharicus , c . iguidensis had a differently shaped braincase and upper jaw . ( for a while , sereno claimed that another carcharodontosaurid dinsoaur , sigilmassasaurus , was actually a carcharodontosaurus species , an idea that has since been shot down . )
the carcharodontosaurus was one of the largest carnivores to ever walk the earth . its length was about 12 . 5 to 13 meters from snout to tail . its mass could have been as much as 7000 kilos to 14 , 000 kilos .
) . ernst stromer von reichenbach named it in 1931 . these fossils were destroyed during world war ii ( in 1944 ) . in 1996 , paul sereno and his team found another carcharodontosaurus in north africa , even larger than the older specimen .
carcharodontosaurus , named for the great white shark , carcharodon , was a giant predator that lived in the cenomanian age , which was the first part of the late cretaceous . remains have been found in north africa as well as egypt to niger .
like its fellow meat - eaters of the middle cretaceous period , carcharodontosaurus wasn ' t exactly a stand - out student , endowed with a slightly smaller - than - average brain for its size - - about the same proportion as allosaurus , which lived tens of millions of years earlier . ( we know this thanks to scans of the braincase of c . saharicus , conducted in 2001 ) . carcharodontosaurus did , however , possess a fairly large optic nerve , meaning it probably had very good eyesight .
carcharodontosaurus was discovered by deperet and savornin in 1925 and by stromer in 1931 . this animal was not particularly well known until the discovery of new remains in 1996 by sereno . it is known from a skull , associated skeleton parts and isolated teeth .
a study set for classification , if that ' s what you ' ve been assigned to study . i am using carcharodontosaurus ( my favorite dinosaur ) as an example . tip - if it ends in - idae , it is a family name .
groups are not named by who is the largest . raptors are also called dromaeosauridae , even though utahraptor was a lot larger than dromaeosaurus . carcharodontosaurus was described a lot earlier than the others in the group , hence the group is named after it .
if you hired an advertising agency to come up with a branding campaign for carcharodontosaurus , the result might well be
the african t . rex ,
a not - uncommon description of this dinosaur up until a couple of decades ago . it ' s catchy , but misleading : carcharodontosaurus wasn ' t technically a tyrannosaur ( a family of carnivores native to north america and eurasia ) , and if you really wanted to designate an african t . rex , a better choice might be the even bigger spinosaurus !
this massive meat - eating dinosaur ( theropod ) is one of the largest ever discovered . for many decades it was thought that tyrannosaurus was the largest land predator to have walked the earth . however , fossil discoveries in the early 2000s show that carcharodontosaurus was even bigger .
interestingly , the discovery now adds credence to the hypothesis that a fourth large theropod existed in the cenomanian of morocco together with carcharodontosaurus , deltadromeus , and spinosaurus ( yes , all four of them at the same time — must have been a nice place to visit ) .
giganotosaur is not a group . there is a subfamily called giganotosaurinae , but carcharodontosaurus is not in it , even though it is a sister group to them . sorry for the little nitpick , i just wanted to inform you about this . you can call it a carcharodontosaurid .
the carcharodontosaurus was a large carnivorous dinosaur . it belongs to the same suborder theropoda which contains the famous tyrannosaurus , but they are very , very distantly related . the size of the carcharodontosaurus was slightly larger than both the tyrannosaurus and the gigantosasurus . for many decades , the tyrannosaurus was believed to be the largest meat eating dinosaur . the discovery of the carcharodontosaurus proved otherwise . but was distinctly smaller than the spinosaurus , the largest known carnivore . the fossils of this dinosaur have been discovered from various regions in northern africa . it was known as the ‘african t . rex’ for the longest time , making people erroneously believe that the dinosaurs were synonymous . it is needless to say that the carcharodontosaurus was a meat eating dinosaur . its adult length was between 40 and 43 feet . it is difficult to judge its exact weight , but scientist estimate that it could have been anything between 9 to 15 short tons . the time period of the existence of the carcharodontosaurus was about 100 to 95 million years ago . this lied in the cenomanian and turonian ages . the tyrannosaurus appeared on the earth about 30 to 35 million years later in the maastrichtian age . nomenclature the name of the carcharodontosaurus is derived from the scientific name of the great white shark , the carcharodon . the teeth of this dinosaur greatly resembled those of the great white and hence this name was selected for it . the term ‘karcharo’ is the greek word for ‘acute’ or ‘jagged’ ; the term ‘odonto’ means ‘teeth’ . ‘sauros’ is again the greek term for ‘lizard’ . thus , the name carcharodontosaurus can be translated as ‘the lizard with the sharp teeth’ or ‘the great white shark lizard’ . the genus was named by scientist ernst stromer . the species name c . sahricus was given to this dinosaur ( by deperet and savornin ) as its fossils were discovered in a rock formation in the sahara desert . the species c . iguidensis is named ( by sereno and brusatte ) after the erg iguidi desert in algeria , where its fossils were originally found . discovery and nature of fossils
larsson , h . c . e . 2001 . endocranial anatomy of carcharodontosaurus saharicus ( theropoda : allosauroidea ) and its implications for theropod brain evolution . in : d . h . tanke and k . carpenter ( eds . ) , mesozoic vertebrate life , 19–33 . indiana university press , indianapolis .
unfortunately , however , the limited bone fragment reveals achingly little about sauron . that said , the researchers speculate that it was more than 30 feet in length , and that it was probably just as large as the carcharodontosaurus . the palaeontologists are obviously hoping to find more fossils to be absolutely sure .
the brain case of this dinosaur has been extensively studied . scientists have found that the brain of the carcharodontosaurus was proportionately smaller as compared to the rest of its body . this meant that it intelligence level was low . the inner ear canal of this dinosaur was semicircular , with three concentric canals being present .
this is an absolutely beautiful example of a carcharodontosaurus tooth . as you can see there is quite a bit of root on this tooth . and to top it off it has a extraordinary unique wave in the blade . perhaps a pathology . this is one of the neatest teeth i have had through here .
check out bbc earth on bbc online - urltoken spinosaurus comes across carcharodontosaurus feeding on a carcass . a dangerous fight is inevitable . spinosaurus has size and strength on his side , but carcharodontosaurus has the more lethal bite . planet dinosaur tells the stories of the biggest , deadliest and weirdest creatures ever to walk the earth , using the latest fossil evidence and immersive computer graphics . narrated by john hurt . subscribe to bbc earth : urltoken visit urltoken for all the latest animal news and wildlife videos bbc earth facebook urltoken ( ex - uk only ) bbc earth twitter urltoken bbc earth youtube channel : urltoken latest bbc earth videos : urltoken
the bones ascribed to the carcharodontosaurus currently were first excavated in the year 1914 from the bahariya formation of egypt . they remained undefined as there was very few similar dinosaurs to compare them to . they consisted of a partial skull , a few vertebrae , digits , parts of the pelvic girdle and the hind limbs .
we can ' t know it for sure , but i believe it did . after all , paralititan needed some kind of a natural predator and a single carcharodontosaurus would be no hazard . even if it preferred sub - adults , a pack would be advantageous because isolating a single animal out of a herd is easier like that .
carcharodontosaurus appears in lost world from planet dinosaur , where it is despicted to fight for land and loses to spinosaurus over a fight for an ouranosaurus carcass , however , the wounds it gave the other theropod became infected and helped to ultimately kill it . it reappears in new giants where it fights a sarcosuchus over a juvenile paralititan and wins .
the dinosaur known by the common name “shark - toothed lizard” is obviously not a shark , nor a lizard . in fact , if the carcharodontosaurus were to have a closest living relative it would be a member of the order crocodylia . the inside of its skull and inner ear , as well as its brain size , are similar to some modern reptiles . though charles depéret and j . savornin were the first to unearth some of the first carcharodontosaurus fossils during a north african dig in 1927 , it was a discovery in the 1990s that gave a clearer picture of this creature . a 1996 expedition to morocco led by paleontologist paul c . sereno revealed a huge skull and partial skeleton of a carcharodontosaurus saharicus . it appeared to be larger than north america’s tyrannosaurus rex and a close relative to south america’s giganotosaurus . the skull alone measured 5 feet 4 inches long . just a year after celebrating that find , sereno and paleontologist stephen brusatte found a second species : carcharodontosaurus iiguidensis . also a member of the carcharodontosauridae family , c . liguidensis had many similar characteristics to the c . saharicus , but brusatte found apparent differences in the bones in the nose and around the brain . one thing was for sure : this “shark - toothed lizard” was a hunter . its short arms sprouted sharp , three - fingered claws and it had serrated , 8 - inch - long teeth made for eating meat . along with its sharp claws and impressive teeth , the bipedal carcharodontosaurus was speedy and sported a wide body , weighing around 16 , 000 pounds . it grew up to 45 feet in length and stood 17 feet high , making it one of the largest carnivores on the planet , according to scientists . with such an intimidating physical structure , you might think the carcharodontosaurus would be free of rivals . not the case . though it is suspected they could take on some of the largest dinosaurs alive , including the sauropods , their biggest rival was the spinosaurus , also known as the “spine lizard , ” which grew up to 60 feet in length . dr . angela milner , deputy keeper of paleontology at london’s natural history museum , has speculated that the carcharodontosaurus might have been a victim of “allopatric speciation . ” this is when “biological populations are physically isolated by a barrier , in this case a seaway , and evolve in reproductive isolation , ” she said in a nhm london press release . “if the barrier breaks down later , individuals of the populations can no longer interbreed . ” back
carcharodontosaurus is named after its long sharp teeth with their deadly serrations . it is also known as the ' shark - toothed ' or ' jagged - toothed ' lizard . its teeth would have slashed through flesh with ease , making it one of the most feared and successful meat - eating dinosaurs of north africa . it was also one of the longest and heaviest , being slightly larger than north america ' s tyrannosaurus rex , although its brain was probably smaller . two teeth were first identified in algeria in 1927 and more findings followed in the 1990 ' s . it is highly likely that carcharodontosaurus would have come into conflict with the largest carnivorous dinosaur of all time - spinosaurus . this would have been a battle of epic proportions .
carcharodontosaurus , the
great white shark lizard ,
certainly has a fearsome name , but that doesn ' t mean it springs as readily to mind as other plus - sized meat - eaters like tyrannosaurus rex and giganotosaurus . on the following slides , you ' ll discover fascinating facts about this little - known cretaceous carnivore . fascinating facts about this little - known cretaceous carnivore .
a young male carcharodontosaurus was seen defending his territory from an invading rival male . the two dinosaurs confronted and circled each other before they began the fight . they headbutted each other and wrestled before letting go . then , the two belligerents started biting and scratching each other with their sharp teeth and claws . shortly afterwards , the challenger backed down and left the victor ' s territory .
carcharodontosaurus lived in what is now southern africa from 105 to 94 million years ago . south america had likely just broken apart from africa during that time , and it ' s probably why carcharodontosaurus and its relatives from south america are so alike in appearance . it ' s environment was likely very warm and humid , with many rivers and lakes flowing through , considering spinosaurus and sarcosuchus ( both aquatic / semi - aquatic predators ) have been found in the same location . although dry and barren now , north africa was likely very lush and full of life , including several rainforests . the elevation was flat , and there were many marches and plains around . carhcarodontosaurus shared this lush habitat with prey items like the sailed hadrosaur ouranosaurus and huge sauropods like paralititan . although it was likely top - predator in the area , carhcarodontosaurus was probably very territorial and had large areas of territory , which would likely have to fight for against rivals and other huge predators in the area , like spinosaurus and sarcosuchus , and even relatives like sauroniops , deltadromeus , and bahariasaurus . the size of it ' s surrounding dinosaurs might have be the reason that carcharodontosaurus was that enormous .
as far as paleontologists can tell , the giant carcharodontosaurid dinosaurs of africa and north and south america ( including carcharodontosaurus , acrocanthosaurus , and giganotosaurus ) were all distant descendants of allosaurus , the apex predator of late jurassic north america and western europe . the evolutionary precursors of allosaurus itself are a bit more mysterious , reaching tens of millions of years back to the first true dinosaurs of middle triassic south america .
not only human beings suffer the depredations of war : in 1944 , the stored remains of carcharodontosaurus ( the ones discovered by ernst stromer von reichenbach ) were destroyed in an allied raid on the german city of munich . since then , paleontologists have had to content themselves with plaster casts of the original bones , supplemented by a near - complete skull discovered in morocco in 1995 by the globe - trotting american paleontologist paul sereno .
the brain endocast and inner ear anatomy of carcharodontosaurus saharicus resembled modern crocodilians ( larsson , 2001 ) . the size of the cerebrum relative to the total brain was similar to modern non - avian reptiles , but small relative to coelurosaurian theropods and birds . ongoing discoveries and research by scientists will certainly shed further light on the physiology , behavior , and environmental circumstances and interactions of carcharodontosaurus . the portion of the brain involving smell is quite large in carhcarodontosaurus , suggesting a good sense of smell , probably even better than today ' s dogs and rivaling the tyrannosaurus . we ' ve also found that its hearing was also quite keen , however , its sight was slightly limited because of the fact that its eyes were on the side of its head instead of straight forward like modern - day lions , dogs , or humans , as a fossil study shows .
just so you know , i ' ll stop uploading animations for a time , i ' ll probably bring them back on august or july , but i just don ' t feel motivated to do them , so , you will probably see alot of resounds . anyway , a resound of spinobro ' s entry to pacak2017 . credits : carcharodontosaurus by : astral giganotosaurus by : suchomimus65 animation by : spinobro14 and backgrounds by : spinosaurus fan
the biggest meat - eating dinosaurs of the mesozoic era lived not in north america ( sorry , t . rex ! ) but in south america and africa . as large as it was , carcharodontosaurus was no match for a closely related occupant of the carnivorous dinosaur family tree , the ten - ton giganotosaurus of south america . somewhat leveling the honors , though , this latter dinosaur is technically classified by paleontologists as a
carcharodontosaurid
theropod .
carcharodontosaurus pronunciation : kar - kar - o - don - tuh - sawr - us translation : carcharodon lizard also known as : description : carnivore , bipedal order : saurischia suborder : theropoda infraorder : tetanurae micro - order : carnosauria ( not confirmed ) family : height : 23 feet ( 7 . 0 meters ) length : 45 feet ( 13 . 7 meters ) weight : 16 , 000 pounds ( 7 , 258 kg ) period : cretaceous
plot : a male giganotosaurus has taken down a juvenile argentiosaurus . a portal from 115 million years ago opens and a female carcharodontosaurus comes out . the two large predators then fight for territory . here it is ! ! ! credits : sucho for giga , astral for carcharo , underspell for argentio , droidz , chi chi , and rexog for blood , and droidz for dust next special : idk maybe a contest entry backgrounds : spino fan sounded by : parasaurolophus 67 music : first aid
for much of the 19th and early 20th centuries , pretty much any large , meat - eating dinosaur that lacked any distinctive characteristics was classified as a species of megalosaurus , the first theropod ever identified . such was the case with carcharodontosaurus , which was dubbed m . saharicus by the pair of fossil - hunters who discovered its teeth in 1924 in algeria . when ernst stromer von reichenbach renamed this dinosaur ( see slide # 2 ) , he changed its genus name but preserved its species name : c . saharicus .
because of its limited fossil remains , carcharodontosaurus is one of those dinosaurs whose length and weight is especially difficult to estimate . a generation ago , paleontologists flirted with the idea that this theropod was as big , or bigger than , tyrannosaurus rex , measuring up to 40 feet from head to tail and weighing as much as 10 tons . today , more modest estimates put the
great white shark lizard
at 30 or so feet long and five tons , a couple of tons less than the biggest t . rex specimens .
carcharodontosaurus is believed to have been a fearsome predator . it was about 44 feet long , 13 feet high at the hips and could weigh as much as 7 ½ tons . while its huge size gave it a predatory advantage , the really fearsome aspect of this dinosaur is its head . it had a head that was almost as long as the average human male was tall—about 5 feet long—and was filled with 8 inch razor sharp teeth . this allowed it to be the apex predator during its time , easily preying on herbivores such as the ouranosaurus .
one of the odd things about giant meat - eaters like carcharodontosaurus ( not to mention its close and not - so - close relatives , such as giganotosaurus and spinosaurus ) is that they lived in the middle , rather than the late , cretaceous period , about 110 to 100 million years ago . what this means is that the size and bulk of meat - eating dinosaurs peaked a full 40 million years before the k / t extinction , only plus - sized tyrannosaurs like t . rex carrying on the tradition of gigantism to the very end of the mesozoic era .
at the beginning of this century , fragmentary bones and some serrated teeth were discovered in egypt and described in scientific literature . collected by ernst stromer von reichenbach in central egypt , these bones and teeth were housed in munich’s bavarian state collections of paleontology and historical geology . on the night of april 24 , 1944 , a royal air force bombing run destroyed the dinosaur fossils , leaving modern paleontologists to wonder what kind of dinosaurs those fossils had come from . sereno solved the mystery when he matched the teeth in the carcharodontosaurus skull with the literature descriptions of the egyptian fossils destroyed in munich over a half - century ago .
further reading - wirbeltiere - reste der baharijestufe ( unterestes canoman ) . ein skelett - rest von carcharodontosaurus nov . gen - abhandlungen der bayerischen akademie der wissenschaften , mathematisch - naturwissenschaftliche abteilung , 9 ( neue folge ) : 1–23 . - e . stromer - 1931 . - predatory dinosaurs from the sahara and the late cretaceous faunal differentiation - p . c . sereno , d . b . dutheil , m . iarochene , h . c . e . larsson , g . h . lyon , p . m . magwene , c . a . sidor , d . j . varricchio & j . a . wilson - 1996 . - a new method to calculate allometric length - mass relationships of dinosaurs . - journal of vertebrate paleontology , 21 ( 1 ) : 51–60 . - f . seebacher - 2001 . - my theropod is bigger than yours . . . or not : estimating body size from skull length in theropods - journal of vertebrate paleontology 27 ( 1 ) : 108–115 - f . therrien & d . m . henderson - 2007 . - a new species of carcharodontosaurus ( dinosauria : theropoda ) from the cenomanian of niger and a revision of the genus . - journal of vertebrate paleontology , 27 ( 4 ) - s . l . brusatte & p . c . sereno - 2007 .
carcharodontosaurus had a huge skull ( 5 ft . long ) with very sharp , straight teeth that were like huge knives and serrated in a similar manner to the great white sharks . these teeth could slice through the flesh of prey like sharp blades . if the rest of the body was to the same scale as the skull , this animal , together with giganotosaurus from south america , could have been even larger than tyrannosaurus , but heavier and slower , with only half the brain size . the back vertebrae were high , giving the back a slight ridge . the arms were short in proportion to the body with large claws that could have been used to hold prey .
wharton [ 29 ] and franzosa [ 10 ] independently collected a wide range of reqs for extant and extinct archosaurs . compared to their results , the req of erlikosaurus falls within the range of basal theropods and coelurosaurs ( ceratosaurus magnicornis , 3 . 31–5 . 17 , allosaurus fragilis , 2 . 44–5 . 24 ; carcharodontosaurus saharicus 2 . 3–3 . 23 ) ( figure 9 ) . although only a few values for the req in maniraptoriform taxa are available , they are significantly higher than in erlikosaurus ( dromiceiomimus brevitertius , 7 . 15–8 . 61 ; troodon formosus , 6 . 89–12 . 53 ) , with the exception of archaeopteryx lithographica ( 3 . 41–4 . 85 ) , which shows only a slightly higher ratio .
the answer henderson came up with , as to the physics of double death , is that the scene could indeed have occurred if the sauropod prey , a limaysaurus tessonei had been a little smaller . he looked at neck strength , jaw strength , and center of mass to determine whether the two carcharodontosaurus saharicus predators would have had the strength and the balance to lift the smaller animal between them . the limit , he found , is in the neck . each theropod would be able to lift 424 kilograms , or 935 pounds , in addition to the weight of their own head . nicholls , who is credited as co - author of the research , produced a revised version of the piece with a smaller prey that really might have been lifted by the two hungry predators .
carcharodontosaurus was a carnivore , with enormous jaws and long , serrated teeth up to eight inches long . it probably ate in packs like its little bit smaller cousin allosaurus , but no fossil evidence of this exists . it may have been a scavenger as well as an active predator . it had a large head with over 60 8 - inch ( 20 cm . ) , blade - like teeth , which were designed to pierce and tear apart the flesh of its prey , which mostly consisted of the large sauropod paralititan and a hadrosaur called ouranosaurus . it ' s arms were somewhat short , but still longer than t . rex ' s and were quite strong . they had three claws on each of its fingers , which could ' ve been used to get a better grab and perhaps even used to kill some of its smaller prey .
name : carcharodontosaurus  ( shark toothed lizard )  . phonetic : car - kah - roe - don - to sore - us . named by : ernst stromer  -  1931 . synonyms : megalosaurus africanus , megalosaurus saharicus . classification : chordata ,  reptilia ,  dinosauria ,  saurischia ,  theropoda ,  carcharodontosauridae ,  carcharodontosaurinae . species : c .  saharicus  ( type )  .  c .  iguidensis . diet : carnivore . size : estimated between 12 and 13 meters long . known locations : algeria - continental intercalaire formation , brazil - alcāntara formation ? , egypt - baharīje formation , mut formation , morocco - aoufous formation , kem kem formation , niger - continental intercalaire formation , echkar formation , elrhaz formation , and tunisia - chenini formation , continental intercalaire formation . time period : albian to cenomanian of the cretaceous . fossil representation : initial remains destroyed in world war two ,  further material including enough to name a second species has since been found .
paleontologist donald henderson makes the case for illustration as science one blood - soaked image at a time .
ne otherwise unmemorable day , donald henderson , then a student of geophysics , took a different route through the stacks of his university library . he was startled by a book he’d never seen before . not only was he startled because he’d never seen it before , he was startled because it looked unlike any book he’d ever seen . gregory paul’s
“i flipped it open , and here are feathered dinosaurs leaping like birds , super active — like in a cock fight , ” henderson tells inverse . “i thought , ‘wow , what a different way to look at dinosaurs . ’ in all of my kids books , they were big heavy plodding dull gray lizard things . it was such an eye opener , to think that dinosaurs could be like that . ”
today , henderson serves as the curator of dinosaurs at canada’s royal tyrrell museum , which boasts one of the greatest fossil collections on the planet . he’s quick to support the idea that he owes his career not only to science , but to the art that inspired him to pursue this particular science . art allows — or , in some cases , forces — paleontologists to consider dinosaurs as animals rather than rocks . without imagination , paleontology is the sorting of stones , which is why henderson is authoring scientific papers that attempt to move illustrations toward the center of paleontological practice .
this artwork by durbed shows the evolution in our understanding of small theropods as feathery and flamboyant things .
consumers of mass paleoart — the movies , the shirts , the yves saint laurent winter collection — tend to think of the science coming first . that’s not wrong : paleontologists dig up the bones and describe them before artists take those bones and those descriptions and create images that allow people to wrap their heads around the idea of long - dead monsters . but it can happen the other way , too , with art pushing the science further . art is also critical .
gregory paul’s work may be the most famous example . paul is widely credited with changing the way the world sees dinosaurs with illustrations that enliven the fossil record by making inferences from anatomy to create more lifelike —more scientifically accurate — animals . in the 1980s , before there was any fossil evidence to support the idea of feathered dinosaurs , paul started drawing them on small theropods . several lines of evidence suggested that these beasts were much more similar to modern birds than to scaly reptiles , and it therefore seemed reasonable to infer that they were more likely than not covered in feathers . paul got ahead of scientists and , in a sense , gave them license to consider possibilities of what might be found , not only what has been .
still , some were reluctant . at the time , some scientists dismissed paul’s work as fanciful and ungrounded in evidence , but the fossil record caught up with informed speculation when troves of feathered dinosaurs were unearthed in china and mongolia in the 1990s . now , it’s common wisdom that birds actually are dinosaurs , in a very literal sense .


lasius umbratus is a parasitic ant .

the queens of this species seek out a lasius niger worker ant , to first kill in order to gain the worker ant 's scent and then to discreetly sneak inside a lasius niger nest .

once inside the lasius umbratus queen finds the lasius niger queen , and kills her .

the worker ants will care for the new queen 's larvae and slowly the colony will become one of lasius umbratus .

' umbratus ' is latin for the word ' ghost ' .

they are sometimes confused with lasius flavus ( yellow meadow ant ) but unlike l. flavus they forage for food on the surface .

lasius umbratus

the above specimen data are provided by antweb . please see lasius umbratus for further details
senior synonym of lasius belgarum : wilson , 1955a pdf : 150 ; seifert , 1988a pdf : 150 ; of lasius hirtiscapus : wilson , 1955a pdf : 150 ; seifert , 1990 pdf : 11 ; of lasius affinoumbratus , lasius aphidicola , lasius epinotalis , lasius exacutus , lasius nyaradi , lasius osakana , lasius silvestrii and material of the unavailable names lasius mixtoaffinis , lasius mixtobicornis referred here : wilson , 1955a pdf : 150 ; of lasius mixtoumbratus : wilson , 1955a pdf : 150 ; kutter , 1977c : 14 .
ant wiki - http : / / www . antwiki . o . . . lasius _ umbratus
lasius umbratus nests in moist soil in open woodlands , early successional forests , forest edges , and in farm fields ( ellison et al . , 2012 ) . it is known to be a temporary social parasite . queens found new colonies by infiltrating an established nest of another lasius species ( including lasius alienus , lasius brunneus , lasius emarginatus , lasius neoniger , lasius niger , lasius pallitarsis and lasius psammophilus ) , killing the queen and using host workers to care for her initial brood .
affinoumbratus . lasius umbratus var . affinoumbratus donisthorpe , 1914 : 40 ( w . ) great britain . junior synonym of umbratus : wilson , 1955a : 151 .
epinotalis . lasius ( chthonolasius ) umbratus subsp . epinotalis buren , 1944a : 297 ( w . ) u . s . a . junior synonym of umbratus : wilson , 1955a : 152 .
c . michael hogan added the english common name
ghost ant
to
lasius umbratus ( nylander , 1846 )
.
hirtiscapus . lasius umbratus var . hirtiscapus stärcke , 1937 : 43 ( q . ) czechoslovakia . subspecies of mixtus : stitz , 1939 : 299 . junior synonym of umbratus : wilson , 1955a : 152 .
where is the documentation for lasius umbratus colony founding using only brood ? i ' ve always understood that queens do not open cocoons by themselves .
there is no evidence to indicate that the reproductives of umbratus build aerial swarms during their nuptial flights , as do those of lasius niger and lasius flavus , although this does not preclude the possibility . eidmann ( 1926 ) observed queens of umbratus ( or rabaudi ? ) flying singly in germany , and i have observed definitely determined umbratus queens flying singly on two occasions in the boston area .
lasius umbratus founds socialparsitic through killing an worker of there hostcolony and adapting so the colonyodour . after infiltrating the colony the hostworker nurses the umbratus - queen and they starts laying eggs after 2 - 3 weeks . most of their nutrition comes from subterrainian aphids .
osakana . lasius ( chthonolasius ) silvestrii var . osakana santschi , 1941 : 278 ( q . ) japan . junior synonym of umbratus : wilson , 1955a : 152 .
silvestrii . lasius ( chthonolasius ) silvestrii wheeler , w . m . 1928d : 120 ( q . ) japan . junior synonym of umbratus : wilson , 1955a : 152 .
lasius umbratus workers are yellowish and rarely seen due to their underground habits . unlike the common yellow ant lasius flavus ( fabricius ) , l . umbratus workers have numerous erect hairs on their scapes and tibia . queens are reddish brown and have heads that are broader than the maximum width of the alitrunk . males are brownish black and have denticulate mandibles .
ellison et al . ( 2012 ) - lasius umbratus is most easily confused with the similarly hairy lasius subumbratus . however , the hairs on the gaster of l . umbratus are short and bristly – less than half as long as the hind tibia is wide – whereas the hairs on the gaster of l . subumbratus are longer than the hind tibia is wide . in addition , l . umbratus has a concave - topped petiole ( viewed from the front or back ) , whereas l . subumbratus has a convex - topped petiole . an undescribed species of lasius from new england is similar to l . umbratus except that the new species has erect hairs on its antennal scape and hind tibiae , whereas l . umbratus does not .
you can find pupae from a lasius umbratus or other lasius species and provide them the to queen . once they eclose , they will accept her as their queen . you may have to feed the queen a tiny drop of sugar water every couple of days until the pupae eclose .
exacutus . lasius umbratus var . exacutus ruzsky , 1902d : 15 ( w . ) russia . combination in acanthomyops : ruzsky , 1925b : 44 ; in lasius ( chthonolasius ) : ruzsky , 1914a : 61 ; emery , 1925b : 234 . subspecies of umbratus : ruzsky , 1905b : 287 . raised to species : ruzsky , 1925b : 44 . subspecies of bicornis : menozzi , 1939a : 314 ( in key ) . junior synonym of umbratus : wilson , 1955a : 150 .
pdfs : experiments on the adoption of lasius , formica and polyergus queens by colonies of alien species ( maurice cole tanquary ) contains very useful introduction and adoption data for several social parasites , including aphaenogaster tennesseensis . british ants : their life - history and classification ( horace st . john kelly donisthorpe , 1915 ) offers information about the biology of ants , including anergates , formica sanguinea , lasius umbratus , and lasius fuliginosus .
belgarum . formicina belgarum bondroit , 1918 : 31 , fig . 17 ( w . q . ) belgium . combination in lasius ( chthonolasius ) : emery , 1925b : 234 . subspecies of umbratus : stärcke , 1937 : 57 ; of mixtus : stitz , 1939 : 299 . junior synonym of umbratus : wilson , 1955a : 151 ; seifert , 1988 : 150 .
collingwood ( 1979 ) reporting on umbratus in europe - this species nests under boulders , in tree stumps and at the base of old trees . workers are subterranean and seldom or never seen above ground . flight period from mid august to late september . single queens found colonies by invasion of and adoption in lasius niger , lasius alienus or occasionally lasius brunneus nests . in late summer dealate queens often wander over the surface of l . niger nests , sometimes carrying a dead l . niger worker as a prelude to securing adoption .
in new mexico ( mackay and mackay 2002 ) - moist areas , ranging from pastures to mixed forests and pine forests . this species nests under stones and logs , tends homoptera , and is a temporary social parasite of lasius alienus , lasius niger and lasius neoniger . reproductives were found in nests july and september , dealate females were found in september . it may form a plesiobiotic relationship with temnothorax rugatulus .
widespread over both eurasia and north america . in eastern north america lasius umbratus occurs from nova scotia south to the gulf states . westward , umbratus is abundant through north dakota , as evidenced by the large numbers of collections made in many localities in that state by g . c . wheeler and his students . it appears to be relatively common in the southern rockies , but sparse to absent over most of the rest of western north america .
niger and alienus probably serve as hosts of umbratus in north america as they do in europe . i have seen two mixed niger - umbratus nest series from ute park , new mexico ( a . c . cole leg . and coll . , mcz ) and one alienus - umbratus series from beatty , pennsylvania ( schmitt leg . ; mcz ) . the beatty umbratus are minimas . buren ( 1944 ) found a single dealate “ aphidicola
queen with a depauperate colony of
flavus nearcticus” , but to my knowledge there has been no additional evidence forthcoming that this or any other chthonolasius uses species of cautolasius as hosts .
nyaradi . chthonolasius affinis var . nyaradi röszler , 1943 : 47 ( w . q . ) romania . junior synonym of umbratus : wilson , 1955a : 152 .
mayr , g . 1861 . die europäischen formiciden . nach der analytischen methode bearbeitet . wien : c . gerolds sohn , 80 pp . ( page 50 , combination in lasius ) g
wilson ( 1955 ) - in the face of the revelation that umbratus has a common and hitherto poorly known palaearctic sibling , lasius rabaudi ( = meridionali s bondroit ) , the great mass of european literature pertaining to this species and its many synonyms cannot be accepted without major qualifications . it is in fact very probable that much of the literature deals with rabaudi instead of umbratus . among the european authors , only starcke ( 1937 ) seems to have fully realized the status and common occurrence of rabaudi and taken this taxonomic information into account in his ecological work . we are still very much in the dark as to whether the two species differ ecologically to any appreciable extent . in the following brief resume , reference to european literature on umbratus is made with the understanding that both species may be included .
as is the case in other species of lasius , observations on the food habits of umbratus are entirely fragmentary and anecdotal . umbratus is generally thought to be subterranean and to subsist primarily on the excreta of aphids and coccids , since these insects are often found in great numbers in the galleries with the ants ( cf . donisthorpe , 1927 , and gregg , 1944 ) . however , in holland , starcke ( 1937 ) has observed workers foraging aboveground at night and carrying insects to the nests presumably for use as food . brown ( pers . commun . ) has also observed workers aboveground on cloudy days in pennsylvania .
aphidicola . formica aphidicola walsh , 1863 : 310 ( w . q . m . ) u . s . a . wheeler , g . c . & wheeler , j . 1953c : 150 ( l . ) . combination in lasius : mayr , 1886d : 429 ; in l . ( chthonolasius ) : ruzsky , 1914a : 61 . junior synonym of flavus : mayr , 1886d : 429 . revived from synonymy : dalla torre , 1893 : 182 . subspecies of umbratus : wheeler , w . m . 1908g : 406 ; buren , 1944a : 297 . junior synonym of umbratus : wilson , 1955a : 150 .
i ' m not sure who knows the answer to this , but i ' m wondering if it is necessary for there to be host brood with the host workers that l . umbratus needs to found a colony .
wilson , e . o . 1955a . a monographic revision of the ant genus lasius . bull . mus . comp . zool . 113 : 1 - 201 ( page 150 , combination in lasius ( chthonolasius ) , senior synonym of belgarum , senior synonym of hirtiscapus , senior synonym of affinoumbratus , aphidicola , epinotalis , exacutus , nyaradi , osakana and silvestrii , and material of the unavailable names mixtoaffinis and mixtobicornis referred here . )
combination in lasius : mayr , 1861 pdf : 50 ; in donisthorpea : donisthorpe , 1915f : 223 ; in formicina : emery , 1916a pdf : 241 ; in acanthomyops : ruzsky , 1925b pdf : 44 ; in chthonolasius : ruzsky , 1936 pdf : 91 ; in lasius ( chthonolasius ) : ruzsky , 1914a pdf : 59 ; müller , 1923b : 129 ; emery , 1925d pdf : 233 ; wilson , 1955a pdf : 150 .
combination in lasius : mayr , 1861 pdf : 50 ; in donisthorpea : donisthorpe , 1915f : 223 ; in formicina : emery , 1916a pdf : 241 ; in acanthomyops : ruzsky , 1925b pdf : 44 ; in chthonolasius : ruzsky , 1936 pdf : 91 ; in lasius ( chthonolasius ) : ruzsky , 1914a pdf : 59 ; müller , 1923b pdf : 129 ; emery , 1925d pdf : 233 ; wilson , 1955a pdf : 150 .
here she is . when i first saw her , i assumed with some confidence that she was a social - parasite . she overwintered under a small rock at the base of a maple tree . her chamber was very small . after i had set her up with a tube , i went on to comb through lasius pictures in hope of identifying her . so far , l . claviger was the only parasite i was pulling images for , and my queen was not the same . i eventually settled with alienus , but it didn ' t really sit easy with me ; the gaster on my queen looked pointier , and the heads didn ' t quite match . lately , i ' ve been ready to call her lasius umbratus .
yamauchi , k . 1979 [ 1978 ] . taxonomical and ecological studies on the ant genus lasius in japan ( hymenoptera : formicidae ) . i . taxonomy . sci . rep . fac . educ . gifu univ . ( nat . sci . ) 6 : 147 - 181 ( page 168 , see also )
by cruising the german forums , i ' ve picked up that it takes two weeks for l . umbratus to start laying eggs in her host ' s colony . since i ' m not seeing much of an appetite in the workers , i ' ve decided to put them back into hibernation for a little while to save their energy .
this concept should allow umbratus ants to stick aphids wherever they damn please . it also will provide a very moist environment if they find accomodations in the nest to be dry . if they do construct the beautiful pulp - structures that i ' ve seen , the caverns will give them plenty of room to do that . perhaps the
nest
section will become redundant ?
müller , g . 1923b . le formiche della venezia un monographiam formicarum borealium europae . acta soc . sci . fenn . 2 2 : 1041 - 1062 ( page 1048 , queen , male described ) ilia e della dalmazia . boll . soc . adriat . sci . nat . trieste 28 : 11 - 180 ( page 129 , combination in lasius ( chthonolasius ) )
1 . my lasius queen does seem to be getting fatter , but spends almost no time on the floor of the test tube ( instead , hanging around the wet cotton - wad . ) in this respect , she isn ' t behaving any differently from the five days she ' s spent alone , but it makes me wonder if the conditions aren ' t right .
a number of nuptial flights recorded by donisthorpe ( 1927 ) , crawley ( 1915 ) , and eidmann ( 1926 ) suggest a long flight season in europe , extending from as early as august 8 ( crawley ) to as late as october 7 ( eidmann ) . however , there is again no way of knowing whether these records might not represent the overlapping periods of the two species umbratus and rabaudi . winged queens , determined by me as authentic umbratus , have been taken in europe on the following dates : iv - 4 , v - 11 , vi - 9 , vi - 12 , vii - 24 , vii - 31 , viii , viii , viii - ( 15 - 20 ) , viii - 22 , viii - 28 , ix3 , ix - 10 , ix - 13 , ix - 16 , ix - 17 , ix - 29 ; these do not involve any apparent geographic trend and by themselves may indicate an unusually long flight period .
i don ' t wish to be held accountable for how many lasius species i ' ve overlooked my entire life . the l . alienus that i mentioned earlier was a sloppy identification . i used to think that l . alienus and l . flavus were the only members of the genus that lived near me , and this has been corrected with quite a rush . they ' ve become so much more complex to me over the course of the week . ok , enough gushing .
it nests under boulders , in tree stumps and at the base of old trees . nests are often carton like structures of thin walled chambers made of fibres and minerals bonded together with secretions and fungal hyphae . new colonies are founded by single queens invading nests of lasius niger ( linnaeus ) , l . platythorax seifert or l . brunneus ( latreille ) and possibly l . psammophilus seifert . in late summer queens are sometimes seen wandering over the surface of a l . niger nest carrying a dead worker as a prelude to securing adoption .
( 2 ) petiole in frontal view tapering slightly from the widest point , just above the foramina , to the dorsal crest . the dorsal crest broad and very variable in outline , from flat or even feebly convex to deeply concave ; the emargination rounded or angular , never as deep as in lasius bicornis , i . e . the width ( taken at the midpoint of the depth measurement ) always exceeds the depth . intranidal variation considerable ; the petiole in a single series may range from flat to distinctly emarginate . in side view the scale is relatively narrow , its dorsal crest acute .
ideally , the adult workers for use in a social - parasite founding should be as young as possible , because it helps to ensure they live long enough to see the that the first parasite workers are born and also makes them more prone to the care of queen and brood than foraging . the l . alienus workers that i found were either foraging or in the middle of a relocation . either way , i imagine that it would be beneficial to collect a small batch of brood for them . larvae can aid in the digestion of protein and ensure that that there will be young workers to help the l . umbratus get started .
the situation in north america is somewhat similar . i have observed queens in flight in the environs of boston , mass . , in september during two recent seasons . lone dealate queens were found wandering above ground at cambridge , mass . , on september 5 , 1952 , and october 2 , 1953 , and at plantagenet , ontario , on june 30 , 1952 . dates on which winged forms have been taken alone or in nido cover the same period , as shown by the following randqm sample : vi - 28 , vii - 8 , vii - 27 , viii - i , viii - 8 , viii - 13 , viii - 13 , viii - 18 , viii - 20 , viii - 31 , ix - i , ix - 5 , ix - 9 , ix - 27 , x - 14 , x - 28 , x - 29 . since there are no known sibling species to complicate the picture in north america , the data here suggest that on this continent at least umbratus has an unusually long nuptial season .
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collingwood ( 1979 ) . clear yellow to reddish yellow ; funiculus segments 2 to 4 slightly longer than wide . scape elliptical in cross section . petiole tapering to dorsal crest which is usually emarginate . body surface and appendages covered in adpressed silvery pubescence . longest hairs on gaster 0 . 06 mm to 0 . 11 mm , about half maximum hind tibial width . erect hairs on genae , scapes and tibiae numerous . length : 3 . 8 - 5 . 5 mm
mackay and mackay ( 2002 ) - the workers of this species are yellow or pale brown ants , which have small eyes ( 35 - 65 ommatidia ) . the length of the longest hairs on the posterior half of the first gastral tergum ( excluding those along the posterior strip ) are less than ½ the maximum width of the posterior tibia at mid - length . the hairs on the first gastral tergum are spaced far enough apart that the distances between the tips of most or all hairs are greater than their lengths .
this species is a host for the ectoparastic fungus aegeritella tuberculata ( espadaler & santamaria , 2012 ) .
the following information is derived from barry bolton ' s new general catalogue , a catalogue of the world ' s ants .
: ruzsky , 1914a : 59 ; müller , 1923 : 129 ; emery , 1925b : 233 ; wilson , 1955a : 150 . senior synonym of
: wilson , 1955a : 150 ; kutter , 1977c : 14 . see also : stitz , 1939 : 291 ; bernard , 1967 : 363 ; kutter , 1977c : 232 ; yamauchi , 1979 : 168 ; seifert , 1988a : 150 ; atanassov & dlussky , 1992 : 245 ; radchenko , 2007 : 34 .
unless otherwise noted the text for the remainder of this section is reported from the publication that includes the original description .
wilson ( 1955 ) - ( 1 ) pilosity and pubescence as in queen . maximum length of hairs of first gastric tergite anterior to the extreme posterior strip 0 . 06 - 0 . 08 mm . , not exceeding one - half the maximum width of the hind tibia at midlength . alitruncal and cephalic hairs with maximum length of about 0 . 11 mm .
( 2 ) hw ranging 1 . 40 - 1 . 82 mm . in 45 nest series measured ( see also under geographic variation ) . si of size extremes 75 and 81 .
( 3 ) petiole in frontal view tapering gradually but distinctly from the level of maximum width ( just above the foramina ) to the dorsal crest , the width just ventral to the dorsolateral angles 0 . 9 x the maximum width or less but the frontal outline rarely subquadrate as in rabaudi . dorsal crest extremely variable in shape , from very feebly concave or even straight to deeply concave with the emargination almost right - angular . the dorsolateral angles always broadly rounded . in side view the scale is narrow and with an acute dorsal crest .
( 4 ) the scape short - elliptical to circular in cross - section , never conspicuously flattened , the minimum width at the midpoint 0 . 11 mm . or greater . the third funicular segment 1 . 0 - 1 . 5 x longer than broad .
( 5 ) body medium to dark brown , the appendages lighter , light to medium brown .
wilson ( 1955 ) - ( 1 ) pilosity and pubescence essentially the same as in the queen and worker , except that hairs of the first three gastric tergites are more frequently subdecumbent - suberect . despite this greater tendency toward obliqueness , the hairs of the first gastric tergite are still too sparse to show much overlap , and their maximum length ( excluding those on the extreme posterior strips ) ranges internidally 0 . 07 - 0 . 08 mm . , or always less than 0 . 7 x the maximum width of the hind tibia at its midlength . maximum length of scutellar and cephalic hairs ( excluding those on the clypeus ) 0 . 09 mm .
( 2 ) hw 0 . 85 - 1 . 23 mm . in 15 nest series measured ; si of the extremes 62 and 66 .
( 3 ) petiole in frontal view tapering dorsally as in queen and worker . dorsal margin flat to deeply emarginate , the emargination rounded or angular , never greater than semicircular or rightangular . the scale in side view relatively thin , with an acute dorsal crest .
wilson ( 1955 ) - lectotype . a dealate queen in the helsinki museum , selection by starcke ( 1937 ) .
atanassov , n . ; dlussky , g . m . 1992 . fauna of bulgaria . hymenoptera , formicidae . fauna bûlg . 22 : 1 - 310 ( page 245 , see also )
buschinger , a . ( 2009 ) social parasitism among ants : a review . ( hymenoptera : formicidae ) . myrmecological news 12 : 219 - 235 .
bernard , f . 1967a [ 1968 ] . faune de l ' europe et du bassin méditerranéen . 3 . les fourmis ( hymenoptera formicidae ) d ' europe occidentale et septentrionale . paris : masson , 411 pp . ( page 363 , see also )
collingwood , c . a . 1979 . the formicidae ( hymenoptera ) of fennoscandia and denmark . fauna entomol . scand . 8 : 1 - 174 .
donisthorpe , h . 1915f . british ants , their life - history and classification . plymouth : brendon & son ltd . , xv + 379 pp . ( page 223 , combination in donisthorpea )
ellison , a . m . , gotelli , n . j . , farnsworht , e . j . , alpert , g . d . 2012 . a field guide to the ants of new england . yale university press , 256 pp .
emery , c . 1916a [ 1915 ] . fauna entomologica italiana . i . hymenoptera . - formicidae . bull . soc . entomol . ital . 47 : 79 - 275 ( page 241 , combination in formicina )
espadaler , x . , santamaria , s . 2012 . ecto - and endoparasitic fungi on ants from the holarctic region . psyche article id 168478 , 10 pages ( doi : 10 . 1155 / 2012 / 168478 ) .
hauschteck , e . 1962 . die chromosomen einiger in der schweiz vorkommender ameisenarten . vierteljahrsschr . naturforsch . ges . zür . 107 : 213 - 220 ( page 219 , karyotype described )
hung , a . c . f . 1969 . the chromosome numbers of six species of formicine ants . ann . entomol . soc . am . 62 : 455 - 456 ( page 456 , karyotype described )
mackay , w . p . and e . mackay . 2002 . the ants of new mexico ( hymenoptera : formicidae ) . edwin mellen press , lewiston , ny .
ruzsky , m . 1925b . new data on the ant fauna of siberia . rus . entomol . obozr . 19 : 41 - 46 ( page 44 , combination in acanthomyops )
ruzsky , m . 1936 . ants of the transbaikal region . tr . biol . nauchn . - issled . inst . tomsk . gos . univ . 2 : 89 - 97 ( page 91 , combination in chthonolasius )
schenck , c . f . 1852 . beschreibung nassauischer ameisenarten . jahrb . ver . naturkd . herzogthum nassau wiesb . 8 : 1 - 149 ( page 59 , worker described )
seifert , b . 1988a . a revision of the european species of the ant subgenus chthonolasius ( insecta , hymenoptera , formicidae ) . entomol . abh . staatl . mus . tierkd . dres . 51 : 143 - 180 ( page 150 , senior synonym of belgarum )
seifert , b . 1990 . supplementation to the revision of european species of the ant subgenus chthonolasius ruzsky , 1913 ( hymenoptera : formicidae ) . doriana 6 ( 2 271 : 1 - 13 ( page 11 , senior synonym of hirtiscapus )
stitz , h . 1939 . die tierwelt deutschlands und der angrenzenden meersteile nach ihren merkmalen und nach ihrer lebensweise . 37 . theil . hautflüger oder hymenoptera . i : ameisen oder formicidae . jena : g . fischer , 428 pp . ( page 291 , see also )
this page was last modified on 13 july 2017 , at 18 : 39 .
can be found in most areas where their host nests exist including open woodland and urban areas . they avoid very dry and very wet habitats .
workers are rarely seen above ground . they forage underground on small invertebrates and tend root - feeding aphids .
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schenck , 1852 pdf : 59 ( w . ) ; hauschteck , 1962 pdf : 219 ( k . ) ; hung , 1969 pdf : 456 ( k . ) .
see also : stitz , 1939 : 291 ; bernard , 1967a pdf : 363 ; kutter , 1977c : 232 ; yamauchi , 1979 pdf : 168 ; seifert , 1988a pdf : 150 ; atanassov & dlussky , 1992 : 245 ; radchenko , 2007 pdf : 34 .
collingwood , c . a . , 1979 , the formicidae ( hymenoptera ) of fennoscandia and denmark . , fauna entomologica scandinavica 8 , pp . 1 - 174 : 101 - 102 , ( download )
ward , p . s . , 2005 , a synoptic review of the ants of california ( hymenoptera : formicidae ) . , zootaxa 936 , pp . 1 - 68 : - 1 , ( download )
0 times found in heathlands , 0 times found in unknown , 0 times found in wet grassland , 0 times found in dry grassland , 0 times found in forest , 1 times found in anthropogenic , 0 times found in rocks ( rocky - calcareous grasslands ) , 0 times found in dunes & inland dunes , 0 times found in cedar woodland , in soil under moss , 0 times found in mixed forest , litter under dead hardwood tree , . . .
1 times nest under limestone slab , 2 times ground foraging , 1 times bajo piedra , nido , 1 times under stone , 1 times turbera , 1 times on road , 1 times leaf litter in oak , 1 times foraging on ground , 1 times flying , l & ed ; on t - shirt , 1 times bajo piedra , 1 times attracted to light at night , . . .
0 times pitfall trap , 0 times manual catch , 0 times color trap , 0 times malaise trap , 0 times berlese funnel , 4 times under rock , 8 times search , 0 times log stage 4 , 4 times hand , 0 times window trap , 0 times pyramid trap , . . .
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most of the body surface is covered with abundant , relatively short , silvery - yellow , predominantly erect hairs . all of the body and the appendages are densely covered with a short , whitish pubescence which is completely appressed on the body and appressed to decumbent on the appendages ; on the gaster this is often dense enough to partly obscure the shining cuticular surface and to give the appearance of a whitish overcast , at least when seeging the workers with the naked eye .
. it prefers dry areas and rarely nests in moist soil ; skwarra ( 1929 ) found it very rare on the wet zehlau moors of east prussia . it usually nests under rocks , but also occurs in rotting wood ( including the timbers of houses ) , at the foot of trees , or in open ground . on occasion it builds mounds . its preferred habitat is woodland , but it has also been taken along forest borders and in cultivated fields . in north america , where no sibling comparable to
differs from the european population in that it prefers moist soil , but it still shows the same latitude in specific nesting sites . the majority of colonies have been taken under stones , while the rest have been taken in or about rotting logs and stumps . i do not know of any case of this ant building mounds or even nesting in the open soil in north america , as it ( or
) has been known to do in europe . in the northern u . s . east of the mississippi river ,
is limited mostly to moist woodland , where it occurs under a wide variety of conditions of soil texture and insolation . in alabama and florida , at the southern extremity of the range , all of the several colonies recorded were found in rotting logs and stumps in swampland . in the western u . s . , all of the collections with ecological data that i have examined were made under rocks in open forest and along or near forest borders . in new mexico , a . c . cole took this species between 7100 and 8000 feet , always under rocks but under variable conditions of soil moisture and vegetation , e . g . dry soil with scattered juniper and pine or oak and pine , moist soil in a clearing near a hard wood forest , and moist soil in an open grassy area .
is widespread over both eurasia and north america . our present knowledge of its distribution in eurasia is unfortunately limited due to its past erroneous identification with the cryptic species
and the present dearth of diagnostic characters in the worker . in eastern north america
is abundant through north dakota , as evidenced by the large numbers of collections made in many localities in that state by g . c . wheeler and his students . it appears to be relatively common in the southern rockies , but sparse to absent over most of the rest of western north america .
wilson ( 1955 ) -
there is a good possibility that its distribution west of the great plains is influenced in large part by competition from related species . it has never been taken within the range of
, i . e . from northern california to british columbia and northern idaho . moreover , in the mountainous areas where its range overlaps that of
, it tends to occur at lower elevations than that species and , so far as i know , the two have never been taken ' in the same immediate locality .
bondroit ) , the great mass of european literature pertaining to this species and its many synonyms cannot be accepted without major qualifications . it is in fact very probable that much of the literature deals with
and taken this taxonomic information into account in his ecological work . we are still very much in the dark as to whether the two species differ ecologically to any appreciable extent . in the following brief resume , reference to european literature on
is generally thought to be subterranean and to subsist primarily on the excreta of aphids and coccids , since these insects are often found in great numbers in the galleries with the ants ( cf . donisthorpe , 1927 , and gregg , 1944 ) . however , in holland , starcke ( 1937 ) has observed workers foraging aboveground at night and carrying insects to the nests presumably for use as food . brown ( pers . commun . ) has also observed workers aboveground on cloudy days in pennsylvania .
a number of nuptial flights recorded by donisthorpe ( 1927 ) , crawley ( 1915 ) , and eidmann ( 1926 ) suggest a long flight season in europe , extending from as early as august 8 ( crawley ) to as late as october 7 ( eidmann ) . however , there is again no way of knowing whether these records might not represent the overlapping periods of the two species
, have been taken in europe on the following dates : iv - 4 , v - ll , vi - 9 , vi - 12 , vii - 24 , vii - 3l , viii , viii , viii - ( 15 - 20 ) , viii - 22 , viii - 28 , ix - 3 , ix - 10 , ix - 13 , ix - 16 , ix - 17 , ix - 29 ; these do not involve any apparent geographic trend and by themselves may indicate an unusually long flight period .
the situation in north america is somewhat similar . i have observed queens in flight in the environs of boston , mass . , in september during two recent seasons . lone dealate queens were found wandering above ground at cambridge , mass . , on september 5 , 1952 , and october 2 , 1953 , and at plantagenet , ontario , on june 30 , 1952 . dates on which winged forms have been taken alone or in nido cover the same period , as shown by the following random sample : vi - 2s , vii - s , vii - 27 , viii - i , viii - s , viii - 13 , viii - 13 , viii - is , viii - 20 , viii - 3l , ix - i , ix - 5 , ix - 9 , ix - 27 , x - 14 , x - 2s , x - 29 . since there are no known sibling species to complicate the picture in north america , the data here suggest that on this continent at least
, although this does not preclude the possibility . eidmann ( 1926 ) observed queens of
donisthorpe ( 1927 ) , crawley ( in donisthorpe , ibid . ) , gosswald ( 1938 ) , and holldobler ( 1953 ) have reported in detail on the colony founding behavior of
queens attack host workers as they encounter them away from the nests , seizing them up the mandibles and carrying them about as they resume foraging . their victims are usually killed by this treatment and may eventually be eaten . with the fulfillment of this
as holldobler calls it , and the presumed acquisition of the host odor , the queens are ready and able to enter host colonies , although they may be subjected to further attack before acquiring final acceptance . unfortunately , the authors who have witnessed this phenomenon failed to make a convincing distinction between
, and specimens were not saved to allow corroborative determinations during the present revision .
nest series from ute park , new mexico ( a . c . cole leg . and coil . , mcz ) and one
lectotype . a dealate queen in the helsinki museum , selection by starcke ( 1937 ) . from starcke ' s description it is clear that this specimen is large ( head width across and including eyes 1 . 71 mm . ) and at one extreme of the normal allometric variation in head shape , pilosity , etc .
the literature cited here is not meant to be an exhaustive list of papers published about this species .
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discuss anything related to ants from keeping them as pets to removing them as pests .
this area contains general tricks and information on ant rearing . also included are people ' s journals / diaries / logs on raising their ant colonies . some of them even have pictures and videos .
so closes my first year as a born - again ant enthusiast . i figure it ' s about time that i give a more informative opening to this thread , seeing as how my first entries here are from when i basically had no idea what i was doing . at the time that i wrote this , i had thought that
absolutely required root aphids to survive , i thought that they needed very humid conditions , and i thought that every social parasite had a single host species .
as a somewhat wiser ant keeper , i present to you a modest summary of social parasitism and what you can do to start your own colony . i ' ll probably revise this many times as i come across new information .
a social parasite is any species which , rather than founding a colony with its own resources , infiltrates the existing colony of a host species and uses the workers or resources in the colony to raise the parasite ' s own workers or reproductives . the three basic types of social parasitism are temporary , slave raider , and permanent inquiline .
is when one species of ant must start their colony with the aid of another species ' nest , but are later able to take care of themselves when the host colony dies out . this is usually undertaken by a parasitic queen replacing the living or deceased queen of a host colony . some ants are only interested in the host colony ' s brood , and certain queens will kill or scare off all of the host nest ' s adult members , raising any brood left behind as her own ( i . e .
) ; others take advantage of the host colony ' s entire workforce , convincing the resident workers that she deserves to be the colony ' s only reproductive . in the case of the latter , all of the reproductive ants that happen to be in the colony ( including the mother queen ) are often killed and eaten . the workers of the parasitic queen gradually replace the members of the host colony , until only the parasitic species remains , taking over all responsibilities for the nest .
. slave raider colonies take over their host by forceful means or with chemical trickery ; often both .
the nanitics of a slave raiding species are often small , much as if the queen had raised them on her own . since slave raiders are almost unanimously larger than the species which they raid , the reason for these small raiders to even exist has been brought to question . it ' s likely that their simple presence helps to adjust the host workers to give appropriate care for the parasites yet to come .
are ants that depend on a host species ' nest and its workers for the duration of the colony ' s existence . two form of inquilinism are ants who don ' t have workers and those who must inhabit the nests of other ants .
manipulate the host queen and workers so that the host ' s eggs never produce reproductives , leaving the parasite to create the colony ' s alates .
guest ants come from a niche of parasitism where two complete colonies exist , in the long - term , within the same nest . these parasites often prey upon the brood of their hosts , which are often so prolific that the host colony doesn ' t largely suffer from the losses .
are good examples . it ' s been noted that rather than directly using their host species ' chemical language to hold status in the colony , these ants tend to strive for
chemical insignificance ,
effectively making themselves unnoticeable to their host species .
adoption of social parasites is often dependent on their ability to persuade and / or communicate with a host species . most targets are close enough relatives of the parasite species that communication isn ' t particularly difficult to achieve . however , the most daunting task of a parasitic queen is convincing her host workers that she should be the sole , dominant reproductive force in the colony . most workers are immediately hostile at the presence of a foreign ant and queen , but if the message of dominance is received , it must also be weighed upon . it takes a majority of the workers in the colony to decide which queen should be supported .
the first contact a parasitic queen makes with her host species is from a rather broad repertoire , and these first moves can vary between species of parasite and parasites of the same species . granted some types of ant will use some strategies more often than others , there doesn ' t seem to be many rigid patterns of infiltration .
sit at the entrance of a nest and grab one of the first workers to emerge . sometimes the worker is killed , else the queen may simply carry ( or be carried by ) her captive for a short while before releasing her . queens have been seen to vigorously lick the worker ' s body , pausing to groom herself ( presumably to acquire the worker ' s scent ) . a parasite may also carry her hostage into the nest with her , to which the nest ' s defenders will be less aggressive towards the intruder .
become very still ; whether this is some pose of submission or feigning death , the queen may be carried inside of the nest by one of the workers .
excavate her own chamber within the nest . it ' s assumed that the chamber gives her some protection while she may adjust to the colony at her leisure . the parasitic queen may also be able to send propaganda to the workers from this location .
simply barge in . some parasites are well equipped to defuse any hostile workers she might meet on her way into the nest . ( though to gain permanent residency she must still make herself the colony ' s queen . ) some queens don ' t even intend to subvert the workers , and are only interested in stealing the colony ' s brood .
worker ants are very particular about the queen they serve . any queen may be evicted or killed if she is found to be unsuitable as the colony ' s primary reproductive , which is often the fate of social parasites who are difficult to recognize by their host species . an unlucky parasitic queen may spend more than a week in a host colony only to be noticed and rejected by them .
parasites ) simply perish in captivity within the first few days alone , in a host colony , or even in the company of the colony they were born in . many of the casualties in laboratory experiments come from queens who have died this way before they could even face the trials of adoption . this , however , shouldn ' t discourage an enthusiastic keeper from trying their hands at these ants ; some queens will succumb to this mysterious death , but once a queen is truly settled into a captive colony , she will no longer be vulnerable to whatever causes this .
worker aggression is probably the second most frequent cause of death for captive social parasites . even if the resident queen is somewhat lacking in their eyes , they can be reluctant to eject a functional queen in favor of a questionable one ( this includes workers who have been removed from the colony recently , and do not consider themselves to be without a queen ) . some parasitic queens function well in cold temperatures , and may use this to their advantage when infiltrating the sluggish colony of their host . if the colony has been without a queen for some time , then the workers are much more receptive to a replacement .
in the wild , it is possible that the host colony of a social parasite already has a queen which may need to be removed . when attempting an adoption in captivity , there is rarely any reason to include a host queen in this introduction . workers are all your parasite needs , and the presence of their queen only hurts the odds favoring your parasite .
start small . it only takes one worker to be aggressive towards a queen , and only one worker to be friendly to a queen . try to keep the magnitude of your introduction small to begin with . ants operate somewhat empathically ; if two workers find a queen agreeable , then a single additional worker will likely also find that queen agreeable because it is so popular . you may add as many workers from that host colony as you desire when your queen is accepted by a few . be warned that as many times as you add workers , there is a chance that some of them will have trouble with the queen . often these rogue workers are corrected or killed by the rest of the colony , but it is a risk to the parasite queen that should be mentioned . social parasites do love to be pampered from the start , and so a healthy host colony of at least 50 workers is ideal for a parasite queen . the more workers she has around her , the heavier her output of eggs will be .
if possible , make sure that the group of workers you use for an introduction to a parasitic queen have been away from their colony long enough so that they consider themselves orphaned . social parasites are most successful when they infiltrate colonies that have no queen .
cold temperatures will slow down all the ants involved in an introduction , lowering their capacity to do damage to one another . this doesn ' t guarantee that the ants can ' t kill each other , but it can sometimes make combat too inconvenient . the best time to do this is during the natural period of hibernation
it can days , weeks , or months before your queen begins to lay her first eggs . there could be something going on behind the scenes during this time ; for whatever reason , a parasitic queen with a usurped colony will not always begin laying straight away . once she has her first egg , however , the most difficult phase of her life is basically over ; it is a sign not only that she is fully accepted by her host workers but that she is adapted to captivity , in good health , and is finally ready to begin her colony . while there are still a few hurdles to overcome , you can now relax or celebrate . since your queen already has a selection of host workers to keep her fed , she will begin to produce eggs to match the hypothetical age of the colony ( a 50 host worker colony will cause her to lay eggs as if she is already about one year old , etc . )
, into a successful colony . i ' ve picked up a lot of helpful information from my snooping , but it seems like little is known about the founding stages . i ' d like this to be a thread that gathers our experiences with this species , and perhaps other parasitic queens .
queen living together , but no brood so far . i should note that the queen does appear to have gotten plump since being introduced to the workers . this queen has been in captivity for nine days , which i hear might be small victory in its own . she hasn ' t spent a lot of time on the floor of the test tube that she lives in , instead sticking around the wet cotton . wondering if this has something to do with humidity , i ' ve plugged up the nest entrance more densely . i ' ll have to wait and see if anything changes .
last edited by batspiderfish on july 31st , 2012 , 10 : 26 pm , edited 16 times in total .
i ' ve been excited about my queen . in preparation for the vague possibility of a successful colony , i ' ve started to brainstorm nest concepts . this is my first . this plan would work great if plants didn ' t need nutrition ! i ' m still going to have to figure out a good way to deliver nutrients to the roots , while still causing them to run through the caverns .
i am forseeing a potential upset in the tubes leading below ; i ' m sure i will find stacks of brood in there .
last edited by batspiderfish on april 24th , 2011 , 11 : 27 pm , edited 4 times in total .
so here ' s an idea about that pink area . they make mats of growing substrate that you may be able to use . i would definitely lay the mat over some sort of support such as a wire or mesh of some sort so that the roots can dangle out of the bottom but will remain strong enough to support the mat . i imagine that this will eventually decompose so you may want to start off with 2 layers if it isn ' t that thick . i ' ve never used the stuff myself . here ' s a link so you know what i ' m talking about . http : / / www . wheatgrasskits . . . / cocotek - growing - mat . htm