It demonstrates that the commonly encountered small creatures found in households should not be underestimated. Their ability to detect intruders and communicate among themselves is something worth exploring.
Everyone can easily identify an ant – those tiny insects that can be found almost everywhere – and you have probably come across many of them in your home, classroom, wardrobe, windowsill, or any other imaginable place. They are a common sight.
These tiny crawlers have also become synonymous with remarkable examples of determination, as numerous stories have been shared about them over the centuries. Many people also believe that ants are among the hardest working creatures on the planet, although this viewpoint is biased and difficult to substantiate in measurable terms.
However, if you observe closely, you will notice some discernible patterns in their communication and movement within their environment. You have surely seen those long, train-like ant colonies moving in a single file, right?
Now, let us explore some of the impressive abilities that nature has endowed upon these small creatures.
Ant Communication
Ants have a unique method of communication. They utilize organic chemicals known as pheromones to interact with one another. For example, if they need to inform their fellow ants about a specific location where food can be found, they leave trails of pheromones that guide others to head straight to the food, rather than getting lost or having to exert unnecessary effort.
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Identifying an Enemy or Intruder
Similar to the hierarchies we observe in our society, ants also have different classes that distinguish them from each other. For example, there are worker ants and soldier ants. Among them, there is a superior ant known as the queen.
To differentiate themselves, ants secrete complex hydrocarbon compounds on their tough exoskeletons. Each class or colony of ants has a specific scent that they are skilled at detecting. This is how they can determine if an ant belongs to the worker class or the soldier class.
This method also helps them identify intruders or enemies within their colonies and eliminate them immediately, often by killing them. Anandasankar Ray from the University of California explains, “Ants have an unusual ability to detect and sense these long-chain hydrocarbon compounds from the cuticle using their antennae and olfactory system.”
Ray further explains that the hydrocarbon levels differ between queens and workers. He states, “If you’re an intruder from another colony, even if your hydrocarbon profile is similar with minor differences, ants from the neighboring colony can immediately recognize this and become extremely aggressive, sometimes killing the intruder quickly.”
In his study, Ray also discovered that these hydrocarbons have low volatility, meaning they do not evaporate quickly. Therefore, ants need to come close to the scent to identify it. This is why ants are skilled at detecting intruders and engaging in close-range communication.
So, if you thought ants were helpless creatures without any sense of security, we have dispelled that myth and shown you just how powerful and clever ants truly are!