Ants using formic acid as herbicides

Amazonian ants nesting on tree species Duroia hirsuta have been reported to inject a lethal dose of formic acid into leaves of of other tree species in the vicinity. This resulted in sections of rainforest being comprised of a single species of trees. The ants' actions resulted in less competing species for D. hirsuta and therefore more nesting sites for the ants. More information at - Scientific American: Amazonian Ants Use Own Herbicide to Poison Unwanted Plants

"Asiatic cheetahs caught on camera"

Asiatic cheetah
Originally uploaded by habitatnews.

"It's amazing what a remote camera will pick up.
This remarkable image of Asiatic cheetahs was captured by automatic equipment in an isolated region of Iran's Dar-e Anjir Wildlife Refuge.

The picture shows mum and her four youngsters resting in the shade of a tree."

"Once ranging from the Red Sea to India, the Asiatic cheetah today numbers fewer than 60 animals on the entire Asian continent, mostly on Iran's arid central plateau.

"As a species the cheetah is still in dire straits in Iran, so it is extremely encouraging to see an apparently healthy family in their native habitat," said Dr Peter Zahler, from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), which has been working with Iranian biologists to survey the cats since 2001."

See "Asiatic cheetahs caught on camera." BBC News, 31 Aug 2005.

See also Conservation of Asiatic Cheetah Project.