More fearsome than the ant collective...the liberals evil oozes over the United States.
Posted on 10/07/2015 7:09:03 AM PDT by JoeProBono
GREENVILLE, S.C., - South Carolina ants seeking to stay afloat amid flooding in the state are creating their own refuge by forming into "islands of ants."
A photojournalist for WHNS-TV spotted what appeared to be mud floating in Greenville County flood waters Sunday, but he soon discovered the clump was actually an "island of ants."
A similar video was captured by a photographer for WSAV-TV.
Residents across the region reported seeing similar ant islands floating in flooded areas.
Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology said in a 2013 study that fire ants use their jaws, small claws and adhesive pads on their legs to form into floating structures.
The researchers said the "ant rafts" are strong enough to withstand waves and the structures are able to break apart and relink in different formations.
"Imagine thousands of people linking their arms together, but everyone has six arms instead of two, and all of their limbs have tiny hooks and adhesive pads on them,"said David Hu, professor at Georgia Institute of Technology. "That's why fire ants can do such dynamic restructuring."
I’ve seen this for a couple of days and have been trying to figure out if all are actually alive. A good portion seem to be below the surface in the second photo. Can they actually rotate/migrate to the top in time not to drown, or have some been sacrificed to form a “hull”?
Thanks. Your version makes more sense.
More fearsome than the ant collective...the liberals evil oozes over the United States.
Grrr...you beat me to it.
A flame thrower would be most efficient in this case.
I’ve heard that
Fire Ant Secret: How They Create Life-Saving Rafts in Floods http://www.livescience.com/13867-raft-fire-ants-buoyancy-flood-water-repellant-floatation.html
LOL funny
We see lots of those floating fire ant mounds, when it’s flooding down in Texas (and all of the telephone lines are down).
As if the flooding alone wasn’t dangerous enough.
That’s a good description of what grits do in people.
“An individual ant’s hard outer covering, called a cuticle, is hydrophobic, or water-repelling. The cuticle’s rough surface allows an ant to trap air against its body when submerged; forming what is called a plastron layer. A massive group of ants, all linked together, has an enhanced water-repellent ability such that the whole group can float while preventing water from penetrating the raft, Mlot said.”
Thanks!
(Them!) One of my favorite movies. Waiting for it to come out on Blu-ray.
send em to mecca.......
They've all but eliminated our precious little horned lizard (the state reptile of Texas) by attacking/driving away harvester ants, the food source of the horned lizard.
I am active in preventing destruction of our native Texas animals. (see my profile for the Tx animals in danger, what causes it and what we can do to help)
For real... Are they born with a raft gene? Do they communicate the idea to one another?
Uncooked Grits.
ping
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