Ant Queens Cloning Males of a Different Species: Rewriting the Rules of Reproduction

Iberian harvester ant (Messor ibericus) queens are defying reproductive biology norms by cloning males of an entirely different species, Messor structor. Researchers discovered isolated M. ibericus colonies thriving without nearby M. structor populations. This led to the astonishing revelation that M. ibericus queens produce male M. structor offspring, which then father the colony's workers. This is the first documented case of an animal producing offspring from another species as part of its normal life cycle, challenging established understanding of species barriers and highlighting the unexpected complexity of natural cooperation and conflict.