The spread of big-headed ants in east Africa has disrupted the life of the African lion, forcing it to make fewer zebra kills and switch its prey, scientists have found.
The presence of the insects at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya has changed the landscape of the area, impacting plants and animals throughout the ecosystem.
According to the study, big-headed ants – thought to be native to Mauritius but which have spread throughout much of the subtropical and tropical world – have “led to increased herbivory by elephants and ultimately a shift in lion prey species from zebra to buffalo” at the reserve.
“These tiny invaders are cryptically pulling on the ties that bind an African ecosystem together, determining who is eaten and where,” said Professor Todd Palmer, a co-author of the study.
The study, which spans research over three decades, showed the complex web of interactions among ants, trees, elephants, lions, zebras and buffalo in the local savanna.
The team of researchers from the University of Florida tracked the impact of the “tiny invaders” on the wildlife conservation area in Laikipia County by using hidden cameras, satellite-linked lion collars and statistical modelling.
They found the big-headed ants attacked native acacia ants, rendering whistling thorn trees in the area vulnerable to being eaten by elephants.
This resulted in landscapes with higher visibility, the researchers said, leading to “significantly less” zebra kills by lions which rely on the tree cover to stalk and hide before pouncing on their prey.
Instead, the iconic predator switched from hunting its preferred prey to buffalo – which are larger than zebras and hang out in groups.
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“Oftentimes, we find it’s the little things that rule the world,” said Prof Palmer.
“These tiny invasive ants showed up maybe 15 years ago, and none of us noticed because they aren’t aggressive toward big critters, including people.
“We now see they are transforming landscapes in very subtle ways but with devastating effects.”
He continued: “Nature is clever, and critters like lions tend to find solutions to the problems they face.
“But we don’t yet know what could result from this profound switch in the lions’ hunting strategy. We are keenly interested in following up on this story.”
He added: “These ants are everywhere, especially in the tropics and subtropics.
“We are working with land managers to investigate interventions, including temporarily fencing out large herbivores, to minimise the impact of ant invaders on tree populations.”
The study, which Prof Palmer described as “born of driving around in Land Rovers in the mud for 30 years”, has been published in the journal, Science.
A well-known Iraqi social media influencer has reportedly been shot dead in her car by a gunman on a motorbike.
Om Fahad, whose real name is Ghufran Sawadi, was killed outside her home in Baghdad’s Zayouna district on Friday, according to the AFP news agency, citing security officials.
It appears the unidentified attacker pretended to be delivering food to the victim, one security source said.
Om Fahad, who has nearly half a million TikTok followers, became famous for posting light-hearted videos where she dances to Iraqi music.
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Six days ago, she shared footage of herself driving in a car and also posing in front of a mirror. They have each been watched hundreds of thousands of times.
The influencer was sentenced to six months in prison in February last year for sharing videos that a court ruled contained “indecent speech that undermines modesty and public morality”.
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A campaign was launched in 2023 by the Iraqi government to clamp down on social media content which broke the country’s “morals and traditions”.
The interior ministry set up a committee to look for “offensive” clips on platforms such as TikTok and YouTube, with several influencers being arrested.
“This type of content is no less dangerous than organised crime,” the ministry declared in a promotional video which asked the public to help by reporting such content.
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“It is one of the causes of the destruction of the Iraqi family and society.”
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In 2018, gunmen in Baghdad shot dead Tara Fares, who was a model and influencer.
After years of war and sectarian conflict following the 2003 US invasion that overthrew dictator Saddam Hussein, Iraq has returned to some semblance of normality despite sporadic violence, political instability and corruption.
But civil liberties, particularly among women and sexual minorities, are still constrained in a conservative and male-dominated society.
The family of a missing high school student who may have been the first victim of a suspected serial killer in Mexico City have protested at the site where bones were found last week.
The bones were discovered with the belongings of at least six women, police said, and Amairany Roblero’s relatives have been told that evidence was found relating to her 2012 disappearance.
Ms Roblero was 18 when she vanished and, as is often the case in Mexico, her family was left to investigate her disappearance with little help from prosecutors.
Family friend Alejandra Jimenez said: “The prosecutors had the case file but they didn’t ever give any results to her parents.”
Instead, her parents printed flyers and gave them out near her school – the last place she was seen – but they had “nothing, nowhere to start, nor any directions to the end”, Ms Jimenez added.
A suspect, identified only by his first name, Miguel, was detained by neighbours and police last week after he is alleged to have killed a seventh young woman.
He is accused of waiting for a woman to leave her apartment and then rushing inside to sexually abuse and strangle her 17-year-old daughter.
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The woman returned to the apartment to see the suspect leaving and she was slashed across her neck before he ran off.
She survived but her daughter died.
Investigators searched a room rented by the suspect and found bones, mobile phones and ID cards belonging to several women in the same block, thought to be mementos.
Miguel is awaiting trial on charges of murder and attempted murder relating to the most recent victims.
City prosecutor Ulises Lara insisted the suspect was difficult to catch because “he showed no signs of violent or aggressive behaviour in his daily life”.
Ms Roblero’s family and friends were not accepting this, however.
“They (authorities) have all the means to look for missing people,” Ms Jimenez said. “Instead of focusing on their political campaigns, they should help all the women who are looking for their children.”
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Juan Carlos Gutierrez, a lawyer representing the family of another victim, was also frustrated, asking why no investigation had never been launched in that case, despite missing person reports being filed in 2015.
Ms Jimenez said Ms Roblero’s family had not been told which of the items or remains in the apartment had been linked to her, adding: “This is wearing her parents down physically, mentally.”
Some 2,580 women were murdered in Mexico in 2023, according to the country’s National Public Security System but poorly funded and badly trained prosecutors have failed to stop serial killers over the years.
In 2021 a serial killer in Mexico City killed 19 people but their bodies were only found, buried at his house, after the wife of a police commander became one of the victims.
In 2018 another serial killer in Mexico City murdered at least 10 women and was only stopped after he was seen pushing a dismembered body down the street in a pram.