'Game Of Thrones' Come To Life: Dinosaur Ant Species Named After Daenerys Kids

First Posted: Jul 29, 2016 04:42 AM EDT

Two new ant species have been discovered, and they were so similar to a couple of dragons that they were named after Daenerys Targaryen's own children.

Say hello to "Pheidole viserion" and "Pheidole drogon": https://t.co/xlaEQ3Pb2E pic.twitter.com/XCdAUY5Mwa

— News from Science (@NewsfromScience) July 27, 2016

These creatures have spikes poking out of their backs, resembling TV dragons and leading scientists to call them Pheidole drogon and pheidole viserion. However, their spines are not only dragon-like, what is inside them are dramatic enough for scientists to question their use.

Author Eli Sarnat shared with CS Monitor, "The common assumption is that the spines are for defense against predation," but it seems that these species have other ideas. According to Dr. Sarnat, worker ants in the genus Pheidole fall into two "castes" - major and minor workers. The minor workers have the same proportions of an average ant, but major workers have extremely large heads.

It is because of their fearsome look that they were called after the "Game of Thrones" dragons, with the jet-black species named after Drogon, and the gold-hued one after Viserion. Still, despite their appearance, New Scientist mentioned that the major workers are pretty shy for dragons. "They're often the first to run away and hide," Sarnat shared. This is because it is not their role to defend or attack their colony - they just use their mandibles to chomp down thick seeds, whiole the minor workers maintain the nests.

However, as stated in the research published by the PLOS One journal, their spiny body could be helpful in discouraging bird predators, as they would be afraid that the spines would get stuck in their throat. Other than that, the spines could also help support the major worker ants' big heads - X-reays and 3D imaging showed that the spines behind their necks are full of muscle and are well-placed to hold up their heads. The hollow ones lower in their bodies are also probably for defense.