Scientists in North Queensland have discovered a new species of ant, believed to be the only one capable of living, swimming, and navigating underwater.
This species of ant resides in mangrove thickets and survives by hiding in air pockets and swimming to the surface. Researcher Simon Robson reported that he stumbled upon them while working on another project.
“I was working with a film crew studying insect species living in the mangroves, and they wanted to film these ants. I said, ‘Place it on a rock in the middle of the puddle, and it won’t be able to go anywhere, so you can shoot it. But the creature immediately crawled off the rock, swam across the surface of the water, and disappeared.”
“We were all amazed.”
Dr. Robson expressed surprise at how the ants can survive in such a treacherous environment: “We have conducted extensive research on foraging behavior here and found that ants are preyed upon by many creatures. While swimming, fish can eat them, brown butterflies may catch them, and crabs can attack. It seems to be a dangerous place to live, and we are trying to understand how they manage to survive.”
M.T.
