Insects can make you quiver or instill a sense of fascination. Whether terrestrial or freshwater, insects thrive in every corner of the earth, and food chains rely on them. Belonging to the class Insecta or Hexapoda, insects are a member of the largest class of Arthropoda, the largest of the animal phylum—the direct line of descent within a group. One such insect—ants—can intrigue and bewilder when their colonies are observed closely for social organization and their capability to use tools.
According to E.O. Wilson, an American biologist and expert on ant research, “Ants have the most complicated social organization on Earth next to humans.”
Ants possess fantastic strength, stamina, and social skills
Considered social insects, ants live in colonies and work together to benefit the entire colony. Each ant has a specific role: defend the nest, gather food, or care for the young.
Ants are incredibly strong for their size; some species can carry 50 times their body weight.
Although their brains are tiny, ants possess the largest brains of all insects. They are capable of communicating and avoiding, or at times fighting, enemies (ants are very territorial), searching for food, and travelling long distances using complex navigation.
They possess a hive mind, much like bees, meaning they can attain both individual and collective knowledge for the colony’s benefit.
Ants perform surgeries within the colony
New research has indicated that ants can perform surgery within their colonies when needed and are the only species in the world, aside from humans, capable of doing so. In Florida, researchers found that Florida carpenter ants (Camponotus floridanus) can discern wounds among those in the nest and use amputation as a form of treatment. Erik Frank, a behavioural ecologist from the University of Wurzburg, Germany, explains: “When we’re talking about amputation behaviour, this is literally the only case in which a sophisticated and systematic amputation of an individual by another member of its species occurs in the animal kingdom.”
Two types of leg wounds were looked at specifically by researchers: lacerations on the femur and the tibia. Some ant species treat femur injuries by cleansing the wound with metapleural glands in their mouths that secrete an antibiotic fluid before amputating the leg through repetitive biting. Ants treat tibia wounds just by cleaning. For femur injuries, survival rates from amputations were 90%–95%. Tibia injury survival rates were 15%–75% after cleaning.
Researchers have discovered that amputation requires at least 40 minutes to complete. After studying micro-CT scans of ants, researchers propose that the femur’s blood-pumping muscle slows blood circulation. This means bacterial blood would take longer to enter the ant’s body, allowing fellow ants sufficient time to amputate the limb.
Carpenter ants, unlike termite-hunting ants, do not possess metapleural glands, having lost the ability through evolution.
Watch your step
Considered some of the most intelligent insects, ants can problem-solve and adapt to changing circumstances. They can work together and are very resourceful.
So, the next time you encounter an ant colony, keep these thoughts in mind. Knowing that you are viewing a sophisticated and systematic realm within an insect species that will go to great lengths to assist its colony may change your perception.