Hello folks who think that pumpkins suffer from depression because they go viral in the month of October and no one asks how they are doing a day later,

Nuptial flights in most ant species are a great reason for celebration among the workers. Not only do they get to take over the rooms of their siblings but they now have successfully reared these "future" queens and "soon to be dead" males and they can cheer as their siblings go on and spread their genes.
A lot of things have to align like the temperature and humidity before these winged males and females(also called alates) take flight, so they can meet ants from other neighboring colonies mid-air.


Below is a group of Small Golden-tailed Sugar Ants checking if the air traffic control has given them the permission for take off. The workers will constantly look around for threats and will give motivational talks to the alates that are developing cold feet. The "future" queens are the largest sized ants with wings, whereas the males are the smallest sized ants with wings in the video below. The rest of the ants without wings are the workers though they can have different sizes.


"Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness" was quoted by Oscar Wilde and it can observed all across nature. We all know ants are a force to reckon with, because if you disturb their colony, they all come charging at you like those sports team fans when you say that their team is not going to win the tournament this year.

Below is a Small Golden-tailed Sugar Ant worker doing all the things ants typically do. Notice the six legs and the antennae which are constantly waving to see if they bump into other ants and detect chemical trails laid by other workers to find food sources.



Jumping spiders are constantly under the threat of being attacked by wasps who are looking for a nursery where their kids can grow up, which in this case would be the inside of paralyzed jumping spider. Ants can spray acid or sting predators and call for backup if needed, so unless you are an Anteater who has skipped breakfast, you would want to leave them aside. Now what if these spiders just dress and behave like those ants, will they get another day to live?

And so they sought out the finest designers in nature and had a dress stitched which made them look like those ants. They now just needed to pick up on their habits. The problem was spiders have
eight legs and ants have six, so now what?

Ant mimicking Jumping spiders will wave their front legs like antennae to play the part perfectly. In addition, they will stop jumping altogether and walk like civilized ants. Below is a
Golden Ant-mimicking Jumping Spider practicing its part to play the role of an ant in an upcoming Broadway Musical.


No comments:

Post a Comment

Did you learn something new in this post? Let us know in the comments below

Tags

acorns adventure adventures algae alligator american crow ant cricket ants aphids aquatic snails arachnids argentine ants bananas bark beetles barklice barnacles bats beaver bees beetle beetles bird lice birds black-tailed deer bloodworms bristletail bug bugs bumblebee butterflies calicoflower canada goose cardinal carpenter bees carrots caterpillars cave centipede cockroaches common murres coot corvids court case crabs crawfish crayfish cricket crickets crow crustaceans damselflies death deer diatoms dock dragonflies earwigs eggs egrets elephant seals eucalyptus european starlings eyes farallon island ferns fingerprints fishes flea flies floods florida flowers fly freshwater snail frog frogs fundraiser fungus fungus-eating lady beetles galls gannet geckos geese goats goldfinch gophers grasshopper green dock beetle green heron green lacewing guest post gull gulls harvestmen hawks herons hike history honeybees house sparrows india insects isopods jumping bristletails jumping spiders juncos katydid kayak lacewing lady beetles land snails leaf miners leafhopper lice lichens lizard lizards lynx spider maggots Magpie mallow marsh megabats midges mildew millipede mites moles mosquito moths mouse spider nematodes nettles newt newts night nuthatches oaks owl paper wasps parasite part 2 pavement ants pelicans pigeons pill bugs plants pocket gophers pollen pollination pollinators poppy praying mantis pseudopupil pupa quail rabbits rat roach roadkill rove beetles salamander salmon sandpiper scat scorpion Scorpions sea lions sea otters seals seeds shorebird shrimp silverfish skunk snails snakes social media solifuges sparrows spider spiders springtails squirrel squirrels starlings stilts stinger sun spiders surf scoter swallows tarantula termites thrips ticks towhees trees turkey turkey vulture turtle venom vernal pool vultures warblers wasps water boatmen webspinners whales wildflower wolf spider woodpeckers Wren wrens yellow jackets youtube

Featured Post

The case of the missing grasshopper

Hello folks who wonder if crime does not pay well at least the benefits are hard to dismiss, This case is about Gregory , a band-winged Gras...