Forget mice, elephants intimidated by ants

Swarms on acacia trees keep the mighty beasts at bay

LARAMIE, Wyoming — To get an elephant to mind its manners, call an ant.

IN-HOUSE SECURITY Ants that live in and among the thorns of acacia trees discourage elephants from foraging on the plants, a study in Kenya has found. Pharaoh han

Ants living in whistling-thorn acacia trees on the African savanna may weigh only 3 milligrams, but they can protect their trees from being demolished by elephants weighing a billion times more, biologist Jacob Goheen reported June 12 at the annual meeting of the American Society of Mammalogists.