Although they have only about 250,000 neurons compared to our 86 billion, ants can accomplish impressive feats when they work together. For instance, they are experts at avoiding traffic jams, with individual ants knowing when to move and when to stop to help the colony succeed.
Now, researchers have captured footage of fire ants (scientific name: Solenopsis invicta) using their skills to pave the way across a sticky surface.
This species of ant is renowned for creating bridges from their own bodies; they can also transform into floating rafts to survive floods.
They turn themselves into floating rafts by clinging to one another with their legs and mouths, using careful bites. Each individual ant has an average of 14 connection points with nearby ants, keeping them afloat through air bubbles formed by their waterproof exoskeleton.
Fire ants using their skills to pave the way across a sticky surface.
Ants also know how to use tools to transport hard-to-move food items like liquids. They take debris such as soil and leaves into the liquid, then carry the “tools” back to their nest, soaked with water.
With their ability to transport particles—anything from glass to sand—ants contribute to an important ecological process, the movement of soil from below to the surface, significantly improving the water permeability and fertility of the topsoil.