Chemical warfare of stealthy silverfish: Parasites hide by covering themselves in ants' scent

via sciencedaily.com

Wow this is interesting; the way that ants' and silverfish evolution has co-evolved. Ants use a complicated chemical scenting system to recognize each other within the nest. If you don't smell like one of them, you will be destroyed.

Silverfish love to live off of the ants' hard labors. They will inhabit the nest, eat the food, basically live a life of luxury, without giving anything in return. But of course, they don't smell like an ant, so they will be destroyed immediately upon discovery.

So, how do they manage to smell like an ant? They have devised this ingenious plan. They rub up against immature ants, which are defenseless. They must do this on a regular basis to keep the chemical scent strong enough.

Wow. What a smart plan.