Deep Look | Floating Fire Ant Rafts Grow Curious Little "Arms," Too | Deep Look #Shorts @KQEDDeepLook | Uploaded 1 year ago | Updated 6 minutes ago
Did you know fire ants make rafts out of their own bodies to escape floods? Yep. And, it gets even cooler.
When researchers studied the fire ant rafts in a lab, they noticed something kind of wild. Fire ants initially build their raft around a central rod. But over time, the form of that raft changes and we see tiny “arms” reaching out. Some ants march right on top of others to the raft’s edge. Then they jump off and hook onto the others, causing the raft to grow little protrusions.
So, why are the ants doing this, making these curious little arms? Scientists’ best guess is the ants are searching for dry land to build a new nest. Very cool.
You can watch the full episode, "Fire Ants Turn Into a Stinging Life Raft to Survive Floods" here 👉 youtu.be/cfKr6rnpakE
Special thanks to the Vernerey Research Group at the University of Colorado - Boulder for the time lapse footage of the fire ants.
#shorts #deeplook #fireants
Did you know fire ants make rafts out of their own bodies to escape floods? Yep. And, it gets even cooler.
When researchers studied the fire ant rafts in a lab, they noticed something kind of wild. Fire ants initially build their raft around a central rod. But over time, the form of that raft changes and we see tiny “arms” reaching out. Some ants march right on top of others to the raft’s edge. Then they jump off and hook onto the others, causing the raft to grow little protrusions.
So, why are the ants doing this, making these curious little arms? Scientists’ best guess is the ants are searching for dry land to build a new nest. Very cool.
You can watch the full episode, "Fire Ants Turn Into a Stinging Life Raft to Survive Floods" here 👉 youtu.be/cfKr6rnpakE
Special thanks to the Vernerey Research Group at the University of Colorado - Boulder for the time lapse footage of the fire ants.
#shorts #deeplook #fireants
