Scientists discovered two totally awesome and previously unknown species of ants from Fiji and Papua New Guinea; each has a series of spines on its back that led the researchers to name them after the dragons from the HBO series Game of Thrones.

"Pheidole drogon" - named after the largest of Daenerys Targaryen's children because of its matching black color - and cream-colored "Pheidole viserion" don't actually breath fire.  They have spiney barbs which researchers first thought may have evolved in defense of predators.  But the they found a strange series of muscles in and around the barbs, which may help the ants lift their oversized heads.

"In all likelihood, the spines serve as a kind of defensive mechanism, but one problem is how they evolved in the first place.  A little spine won't help as a defence mechanism.  So there could have been another use that would have given them an advantage when they were little," said lead author Eli Sarnat at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology.  "The spines in the back do not have any muscles like the shoulders, so (shoulder) spines might be important as a skeleto-muscular support mechanism for the head in soldiers," he added.

The researchers learned all of this by using newly invented 3D-imaging technology "to help identify and document several new ant species," generating crisp and detailed views of the dragon ants.  The imaging technology is similar to CT scans used in hospitals, but they cranked it up "to a much higher resolution suitable for smaller objects, such as an ant". 

Sarnat says not everyone was happy with naming the little bugs after the Game of Thrones dragons.  "We thought it would be a little more fun, but my wife wasn’t too pleased," he said.  "She'll get to name the next one."