http://www.madprime.org/articles/2008/01/17/berry-butt-ants en-us 40 <p><A HREF="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/01/photogalleries/ant-pictures/"><IMG style="float:right" SRC=http://www.madprime.org/article_images/20080117_berrybutt.jpg></A> The first known example of parasite induced fruit mimicry: Scientists report (in the April issue of American Naturalist) the discovery of a parasitic worm that infects ants and <A HREF="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/01/photogalleries/ant-pictures/">turns their butts bright red</A> -- so they resemble berries. The parasite also changes their behavior, causing them to wave their butt around in the air. A bird spies the "berry", eats it up and is infected. Bird poop is fed upon by the ants, completing the parasitic cycle. </p> Thu, 17 Jan 2008 20:24:00 +0000 urn:uuid:304a070f-5fd3-4b2c-9a0d-8a4b3887e46b Madeleine Ball http://www.madprime.org/articles/2008/01/17/berry-butt-ants mimicry biology insects