Other forms of ants, including meat ants, have been known to team up with other species as well, including butterflies and leafhoppers. Normally, meat ants are vicious and territorial – feeding on dead animals and forcing other species of ants to stay out of their way and forage at night. However, they make special exceptions for certain other creatures of the trees and skies that secrete substances they can feed on – not only do they leave these partners alive but they actually actively protect them from predators as well.