Wednesday, April 12, 2017

"Ants Carry Wounded Off Battlefield—Never Before Seen"

via Drudge: [A] new study reveals the ants have a never-before-seen strategy that helps the colony weather wartime casualties. Unlike all other ants, Megaponera analis soldiers carry their injured comrades home.

While this may seem like a small courtesy to the individuals being rescued, these tiny heroics add up, says study leader Erik T. Frank, a myrmecologist at the University Würzburg in Germany.

“There is a clear benefit for the colony,” says Frank, whose study was published April 12 in the journal Science Advances. "These injured ants are able to participate again in future raids and remain a functioning member of the colony."

(Link to much more)

Link to video

4 comments:

chickelit said...

These injured ants are able to participate again in future raids and remain a functioning member of the colony.

They come back with attitude and a vengeance.

The Dude said...

They died with their clypeus on.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

When the pentagon heard the ants don't fear drowning they became very interested.

AllenS said...

They'll eat them later.