A repository for Marcospinelli's comments and essays published at other websites.

Fire Ant Raft: Insects Link To Form Living, Unsinkable Boat (VIDEO)

Tuesday, April 26, 2011


I think that these researcher­s have missed the purpose of the 'rafting'.  

Ants don't sink or drown individual­ly when in a pool of water.  Some part of their body is always on the surface of the water until they die from something else.  If you want to drown them, you have to add something, surfactant­, to the water.  That will break the surface tension and the ant won't have anything to hold on to.

I think the point of the 'rafting' is to be able to reach terra firma.  Once enough ants join the raft, extending it in all directions­, they can float or 'row' in one direction until they reach a surface with firm footing, and then they can each disembark the 'raft', using it as a bridge.  Watch them crawl up his tweezer to his fingers.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

0 comments:

About This Blog

  © Blogger templates Newspaper by Ourblogtemplates.com 2008

Back to TOP