Invasive Ants Disrupt Kenyan Ecosystem, Force Lions to Change Prey

The arrival of big-headed ants has led to a domino effect in the Ol Pejeta Conservancy, with lions now hunting buffalos instead of zebras.

Invasive big-headed ants have disrupted the ecosystem in Kenya's Ol Pejeta Conservancy, leading to a shift in lion prey from zebras to buffalos.
The ants, which likely originated from an island in the Indian Ocean, have killed off native acacia ants that protected whistling-thorn trees from herbivores such as elephants.
With the loss of the native ants, elephants have been able to consume the trees at a higher rate, reducing the cover lions need to successfully ambush zebras.
As a result, lions have been forced to adapt by hunting African buffalos, which are larger and harder to kill than zebras.
The impact of the ant invasion on the size and composition of lion prides, as well as other plant and animal species in the region, remains an open question for future investigation.