Mojave National Preserve, California, USA.
Acrobat ants have stingers, but they don't use them the way we might think. Intead of stabbing their opponents, acrobat ants use their stingers like a paintbrush, smearing a frothy venom. California, USA.
Alarm posture in a Crematogaster emeryana acrobat ant, gaster held high and sting extruded. Crematogaster ants do not actually use their stinger to sting; rather, the organ is instead employed as a brush to broadcast volatile chemical signals to nestmates and to smear defensive chemicals on attackers. Chiricahua Mountains, Arizona, USA
