Thirty-three new types of predatory ant were discovered in Central America and the Caribbean, scientists decided to name the "mini-monsters" after Maya demons and Lords.
Researchers observed ant specimens and were able to distinguish them from other ants in already-known genus', a University of Utah press release reported.
"These new ant species are the stuff of nightmares," entomologist Jack Longino, a professor of biology at the University of Utah, said. "Their faces are broad shields, the eyes reduced to tiny points at the edges and the fierce jaws bristling with sharp teeth."
"They look a little like the monster in 'Alien.' They're horrifying to look at up close. That's sort of what makes them fun," he said.
The ants were found mainly in "small wooded patches" of agricultural land.
"They are nearly eyeless and crawl around in leaf litter," Longino said. The ants can detect light, but they can't see images.
The newly discovered ants are smaller than a grain of rice, and the common house ant towers over them. Despite their small size, they are believed to coat themselves in clay to blend in with their surroundings.
One of the terrifying features the creatures possess is a mouth that opens and closes in a sideways motion.
"If you really want a movie monster that freaks people out, have the jaws go side to side," Longino said.
The jaws aren't used for chewing up food. The ants bring their prey (mainly soft-bodied insects like siders and millipedes) back to the nest where the ant larvae eat and regurgitate the insect. The adult ants lap up the liquid.
Despite the speicies' horrific appearance they can benefit the environment.
"[Ants] gather a lot of dead insects and eat them, so they are like vultures at a microscale. They move seeds around and have a big impact on what kind of plants grow where. They aerate soil and do a lot of excavation. Having aerated soil is good for plants - it lets oxygen get into the soil and water percolate through it better." Longino said.
