“Are Ants Insects?”; “Can Ants Swim?”; “How do Ants Work as a Team?”; “Can Ants Jump?”
These questions (along with a few stranger questions such as “Why are Ants attracted to urine?”) are all questions that people have entered into the Google search bar. So, we are here to answer some of those questions.
“Are Ants Insects?”
Yes. Insects are defined as an arthropod with “segmented bodies, jointed legs, and external skeletons (exoskeletons)”.1 Ants have segmented bodies, 6 legs, antennae, and an exoskeleton. The segments of all insect bodies are broken into 3 parts: the head, the thorax, and the abdomen. More information on a few different kinds of Ants can be found under our Pests tab.
“Can Ants Swim?”
Well, not really, but they can float and, depending on the species, can survive for weeks by floating. One case of a particularly resourceful ant species is the Fire Ant. “When in water, fire ants float by interlinking their legs and mouth till they reach a safe location.”2 The surface tension of water is also a factor in helping Ants survive in water. So, if you think you can drown out a colony of ants, think again.
“How Do Ants Work as a Team?”
Just like the example of the Fire Ants above, colonies of Ants are always working together to build nests, forage for food, and survive any predators. Every colony consists of thousands of different Ants, each with a different job. Workers, soldiers, drones, and the Queen are the different types of ants, and each section is in charge of their own duties to keep the colony up and running.
- Workers collect food, dig tunnels, and protect the young.
- Soldiers protect the nest from predators
- Drones are the only male Ants, and they start new colonies
- The Queen is the mother and is the only reproducer in the colony, creating all the new Ants to keep the colony alive
Because each different type of Ant has a specific job, they all need each other to keep the colony going. They would individually die without the others, so each job is just as important as the next, creating a huge team that works together.3
“Can Ants Jump?”
No, however, there is one species of Ant called the Trap-Jaw Ant that can propel itself backwards by clamping its jaw against a surface. This is an amazing evolutionary design that scientists have been studying and still don’t quite understand. Check out this video to see the Trap-Jaw Ant in action and how these women are trying to recreate the motion in a micro-robot. We will explore the Trap-Jaw Ant in a future post, so be sure to check back or subscribe to our newsletter for notifications on future blog posts.
“Why Are Ants Attracted to Urine?”
Sugar. Urine often contains trace amounts of glucose which attracts Ants as they love sugary substances. There is some discussion around whether Ants being attracted to your urine suggests that you may be diabetic, for example. That being said, it is not necessarily the case as there is usually at least some trace amounts of glucose in everyone’s urine. In short, using Ants as a Diabetes test is widely discouraged.
"Kama ""Mbuzi ni wadudu"" au ""Mbuzi wanaweza kuogelea"" au ""Mbuzi wanaweza kuruka"" au ""Mbuzi wanaweza kuruka"" au ""Mbuzi wanaweza kuogelea"" au ""Mbuzi wanaweza kuogelea"" au ""Mbuzi wanaweza kuogelea"" au ""Mbuzi wanaweza kuogelea"" au ""Mbuzi wanaweza kuogelea"" au ""Mbuzi anaweza kuogelea"" au ""Mbuzi anaweza kuogelea"" au ""Mbuzi anaweza kuogelea.""" Kwa hiyo, tuko hapa kujibu baadhi ya maswali hayo. <unk>Je, chungu ni wadudu?<unk> Ndiyo. Wadudu hufafanuliwa kama arthropod na <unk>mwili uliogawanyika, miguu iliyounganishwa, na mifupa ya nje (exoskeletons) <unk>.1 Chungu wana miili iliyogawanyika, miguu sita, antennae, na exoskeleton. Mwili wa wadudu una sehemu tatu: kichwa, kifua na tumbo. Habari zaidi juu ya aina kadhaa tofauti za chungu zinaweza kupatikana chini ya tab yetu ya wadudu. <unk>Je, chungu anaweza kuogelea?<unk> Naam, si kweli, lakini wanaweza kuelea na, kulingana na spishi, wanaweza kuishi kwa wiki kwa kuelea. Aina moja ya chungu mwenye ustadi sana ni chungu wa moto. Wakati katika maji, chungu moto kuelea kwa kuunganisha miguu yao na kinywa mpaka wao kufikia mahali salama. mvutano uso wa maji pia ni sababu katika kusaidia chungu kuishi katika maji. Kwa hiyo, ikiwa unafikiri unaweza kuzamisha koloni ya chungu, fikiria tena. <unk> Jinsi gani chungu hufanya kazi kama timu? <unk> Kama vile mfano wa chungu wa moto hapo juu, makoloni ya chungu daima hufanya kazi pamoja kujenga viota, kutafuta chakula, na kuokoka wawindaji wowote. Kila koloni lina maelfu ya chungu tofauti-tofauti, kila mmoja akiwa na kazi tofauti. Wafanyakazi, askari, na malkia ni aina tofauti za chungu, na kila sehemu ina jukumu la kudumisha koloni. - Wafanyakazi hukusanya chakula, kuchimba mifereji, na kulinda watoto. - Askari kulinda kiota kutoka predators - Drones ni tu kiume Ants, na wao kuanza koloni mpya - Malkia ni mama na ni pekee reproductor katika koloni, kujenga wote mpya Ants kuweka koloni hai kwa sababu kila aina tofauti ya Ant ina kazi maalum, wote wanahitaji kila mmoja ili kuweka koloni kwenda. "Kila aina ya chungu hufa bila wengine, kwa hiyo kila kazi ni muhimu kama ile inayofuata, na kuunda timu kubwa inayofanya kazi pamoja. ""Je, chungu anaweza kuruka?"" ""Hapana, hata hivyo, kuna spishi moja ya chungu inayoitwa chungu cha mdomo wa mtego ambayo inaweza kujiendesha nyuma kwa kukamata mdomo wake dhidi ya uso." Hii ni muundo wa ajabu wa mageuzi ambao wanasayansi wamekuwa wakisoma na bado hawaelewi kabisa. Tazama video hii ya jinsi ya kuunda na kuunda Trap-Jaw Ant na jinsi ya kuunda na kuunda trap-jaws katika robot ndogo. Tutachunguza Trap-Jaw Ant katika chapisho la baadaye, kwa hivyo hakikisha kuangalia nyuma au kujiandikisha kwa jarida letu kwa taarifa juu ya machapisho ya blogi ya baadaye. <unk>Kwa nini chungu huvutiwa na mkojo?<unk> Sukari. Mara nyingi mkojo una kiasi kidogo cha glukosi ambayo huvutia chungu kwa kuwa wanapenda vitu vyenye sukari. Kuna mjadala fulani kuhusu ikiwa chungu kuvutiwa na mkojo wako huonyesha kwamba unaweza kuwa na kisukari, kwa mfano. Hiyo ikisemwa, si lazima kesi kama kuna kawaida angalau baadhi ya kiasi cha trace ya glukosi katika mkojo wa kila mtu. Kwa ufupi, kutumia chungu kama mtihani wa kisukari haipendekezi sana.