In the forests of California’s Sierra Nevada, nature takes a dark, cunning turn. There’s a species of red ant, Polyergus ...

The pupae are carried back to the red ant nest, and when they hatch, the kidnappers coat them in secretions from specialised glands. This bathes the captives in the scent of the colony, fooling them ...

Kidnapping is rare in the animal kingdom, but it does happen. The phenomenon has been observed both within and between species, where it rarely ends well. Most animals held captive either die, or a ...