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ToSeek
10-February-2005, 04:28 PM
This is pretty nifty:

Tree-living ants glide to safety (http://www.nature.com/news/2005/050207/full/050207-10.html)

Be sure to watch the video.
Swift
10-February-2005, 06:38 PM
8)
So like sheep, they don't so much fly as they do plummet. :wink:
beskeptical
10-February-2005, 07:36 PM
By making video recordings of plummeting ants, :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: =D>

What a crack up! Can you just see these overgrown boys and girls up in a tree dropping ants and going, "Wow cool, did you see that one?"
teddyv
10-February-2005, 08:45 PM
The more ants that stay in their tree the better. I hate ants in the tropics - every single one attacks and bites. I had one nearly draw blood from my hand.
Nicolas
10-February-2005, 09:00 PM
"You'll believe an ant can fly!"

Uhm,some ants overhere get wings during a certain time of year...

We don't see them falling into their own trunk however :).
Swift
10-February-2005, 09:20 PM
"You'll believe an ant can fly!"

Uhm,some ants overhere get wings during a certain time of year...

We don't see them falling into their own trunk however :).
Actually in many ant species the "Princesses" (unmated queens) and the males develop wings and fly off (the wedding flight) to mate and form new nests. After they mate the queen losses her wings and become grounded for life, the males die.
Guess that's why they call them "aunts" and not uncles. #-o :lol:
beskeptical
10-February-2005, 10:00 PM
Many? Don't they all have similar reproduction cycles?
Doodler
10-February-2005, 10:02 PM
That's not flying, that's falling... with style. :)
Swift
11-February-2005, 02:12 PM
Many? Don't they all have similar reproduction cycles?
Probably, but I wasn't sure so I was covering my ignorant backside. :wink:
By the way, E.O. Wilson is, as far as I understand, THE guy on ants (amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0674040759/qid=1108130895/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-2917036-8613440?v=glance&s=books&n=507846)). I saw him on a NOVA or similar program a few years ago; very neat guy. One of the interesting facts he had was this: if you add up the total weight of all animals on the Earth, what animal would have the biggest total weight (so the weight of all the humans, weight of all the lions, weight of all the whales, etc.). The answer is ANTS! 8)