Ants form nets to cross water because they can grip onto each other thanks to their physical structure and specific pheromones, creating a sort of human bridge that allows them to float on the water's surface and overcome liquid obstacles.
In ants, everything relies on chemistry. By releasing small amounts of chemical substances called pheromones, they create real scent trails. Each ant follows these trails, and the more pronounced they are, the more they attract others. As a result, the whole group adopts a highly efficient collective coordination to solve complex problems. For example, crossing a body of water as a group without sinking. There’s no need for orders or a leader to give instructions: just these small invisible chemical traces that indicate to others where to go and how to react. It’s this simple yet incredibly clever communication that allows ants to spontaneously form living rafts to float together without panicking, even on choppy water.
These rafts represent a vital strategy for ants: forming sorts of floating rafts to avoid drowning when their nest is submerged by water. Through their network organization, they ensure the survival of the largest number, especially the queen and the larvae, which are essential for the future of the entire colony. By staying together, they also minimize energy loss, reduce the risk of being swept away by the current, and provide effective protection against aquatic predators. Without this unique ability, the entire colony could perish in the face of adverse weather conditions.
When ants clump together on water, they directly take advantage of specific physical principles. First, surface tension creates a very thin skin on the surface of the water. Thanks to this force, the gathered ants do not easily sink, like tiny lightweight objects that remain on the water without drowning.
Next, their way of assembling offers them excellent collective buoyancy. By forming a tight mesh with their intertwined bodies, they distribute their weight and capture tiny pockets of air, which helps them float even better.
Finally, the principle of capillarity, which causes water to spontaneously rise in very fine spaces, allows them to prevent water from penetrating deeply between their bodies. By maintaining these spaces very small, they significantly reduce the risk of immersion for the ants located beneath the surface. All this combined enables them to create a sort of natural raft that floats efficiently, even under difficult conditions.
Ants have small claws and adhesive pads under their legs, perfect for gripping onto each other. Their waterproof bodies, covered in a thin layer of wax, trap air bubbles, enhancing their buoyancy. Behaviorally, they are highly disciplined: each ant quickly finds its place through chemical signals and precise physical contacts. It’s a true team effort, like a highly optimized puzzle. Some ants specifically position themselves underneath to create a sort of stable floating base, and they regularly alternate roles to avoid exhaustion. In short, it's a remarkable example of collective natural engineering.
Recent studies have closely filmed how ants behave during raft formation: it is clearly a collective survival strategy where each individual plays a specific role. High-resolution cameras have allowed observation that when the raft is destabilized by a wave or movement, the ants immediately react by clasping their mandibles and legs to each other in a kind of collective reflex. Some researchers have even marked individuals to track their movement within the structure, confirming that ants regularly change positions, alternating between the surface and the depths of the raft: not a bad idea to avoid drowning! Recently, new research using thermal imaging has highlighted how these living rafts help retain heat, providing additional protection to the entire colony against abrupt temperature changes. Finally, more in-depth work through computer simulations shows that ants instinctively optimize their floating architecture to withstand disturbances, a beautiful example of collective intelligence in action.
Scientists are actively studying ant rafts to develop new materials capable of withstanding harsh conditions for engineering applications, including the fabrication of self-assembling robots.
To maintain the structure intact and efficient, the raft ants regularly change positions, allowing each individual to rest periodically and avoid exhaustion or asphyxiation.
Some species of ants, such as fire ants, can assemble living rafts that are capable of floating for weeks without losing their cohesion, thus protecting their queen and offspring from flooding.
During the formation of the living net or raft, each ant grabs hold of the others using its mandibles and legs, thus creating a flexible structure that is extremely resistant to water.
Yes, other social insects, such as certain species of bees or weaver ants, also create collective structures. For example, weaver ants build complex nests by joining leaves together using silk secreted by their larvae, which demonstrates their exceptional capacity for social cooperation and collective creativity.
Training these living structures allows the colonies to survive during flooding, minimizes the loss of essential members of the colony (such as the queen or larvae), and facilitates territorial expansion into new areas that are less exposed to this type of environmental danger.
No, this ability is particularly observed in certain species such as fire ants (Solenopsis invicta), which have developed a specific behavioral adaptation to cope with the frequent flooding of their natural environment.
According to recent scientific studies, a colony can remain floating for several hours to several weeks, depending on the size of the colony, the presence of larvae, and environmental conditions such as temperature and water turbulence.
Yes, thanks to their ability to trap air bubbles on their bodies, ants submerged underwater are able to breathe and survive for long periods, thereby contributing to the overall buoyancy of the net.
This behavior is innate. It relies on a preprogrammed system of chemical and tactile communication, dictated by genetics and refined by evolution to enable the colony to survive repeated natural disasters.
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