Ant Balls.

Was working on the Katrina research project when I came across this article....

Ant balls not an urban myth

In addition to all of the other horrors befalling New Orleanians during the flood was the creepy discovery that red ants form themselves into floating clusters to avoid drowning. As Dante Ramos and I paddled along Carrollton Avenue on Wednesday, I saw two glittering, golf ball-sized masses of ants floating beside our canoe.

[edit on 5-9-2005 by loam]

[edit on 5-9-2005 by John bull 1]

Whoa.. I so totally expected something else after reading the title.

On a serious note though, that is pretty cool. Didn't know the Ants did that.

Originally posted by DarkHelmet
Whoa.. I so totally expected something else after reading the title.

On a serious note though, that is pretty cool. Didn't know the Ants did that.

Thank god im not the only person with a sick mind to think the same thing

I thought to myself, since when do ants have balls?

Then I clicked on this thread and saw what you were talking about.

Indeed, you guys aren't the only ones with your mind in the gutter. In fact, there're so many people down here it's getting crowded. Get your minds out of the gutter! I want more elbow room!

I've seen this behavior in ants before, it's pretty interesting. They do this in the Amazon to survive the annual flooding, transport the colony to new locations by fording rivers, and this construct allows them to protect the queen. Neat stuff though.

Unfortunately, they get fire ants down south, and you wouldn't want to bump into a floating colony. They might mistake you for a branch and try to colonize you.

"Close your orifices Billy, they're swarming!"



[edit on 5-9-2005 by WyrdeOne]

Thanks for the first good laugh I have had in days.....it never even occurred to me that it might be read that way...

First thing that came to mind was no way i guess i am not the only one that thought that. pretty cool that they do that

Is it true some animals know when danger is coming way before humans can ?

Yes, it's absolutely true. There's a wealth of information available on this subject online.

I don't know if ants are one of those animals that can sense danger. I know elephants, horses, and dogs appear to posess the ability. It might be strictly mammalian, but I doubt it.

It's possible that ants also have some sort of perception that allows the colony to elude disaster. I've never seen any proof suggesting that, but it's possible.

I so want to see picture of one of these Ant Balls! I love nature stuff like this.

Originally posted by Sth Hemisphere
Is it true some animals know when danger is coming way before humans can ?

I've read of several cases where animals acted all weird and scared right before an earthquake, but I don't know of any cases offhand that didn't involve earthquakes. I don't think it was limited to just mammals, either, since one of the things I read (sorry, was a long time ago, so I forget the source) was about some zoo where nearly all the animals were freaking out right before an earthquake, about a day or two in advance.

If you think you can drown an ANT I challege you to try and do it. They don't drown.

Normal ants drown, I've done it before.
The name of this thread reminded me of that "moth balls" joke.

I love using that joke....

Me: "Have you ever Smelled Moth Balls Before?"

Friend: "I have and it's horrible"

Me: "How in the world did you get your nose between their tiny legs??"

It's Classic

i've heard of that technique used by other insects too, it is amazing how they work together, if i ever have the chance i want to make man-like ants and see how they will form as a supreme being on their own little planet.. cool science project...

Here's an interesting find.

Scientists discover swimming ants

North Queensland scientists have discovered a new type of ant, believed to be the only species that can live, swim and navigate under water.

The team from Townsville's James Cook University is receiving international recognition for its discovery of polyrhachis sokolova.

The ants nest in submerged mangroves and survive by hiding in air pockets and then swimming to the surface.

More...

Cool, huh?

Way cool, and what a way to discover that they can swim:

"I was actually working with a film crew working on insects in the mangroves and they wanted to film one of these ants and I said, 'Well, lets put it on a rock in a puddle of water and that'll stop it going away and then you'll be able to film it,' and the ant promptly just leapt off the edge of the rock and swam across the water and disappeared.

"We were sort of dumbfounded."

That's awesome!

reply to post by loam


It's only taken six years, but I finally got some video!





Enjoy!