Thursday, September 16, 2010

What I Like About...Watching Ants

 I love watching ants. I always learn something from them as I watch them go about their "business" of making a living.

This morning, I was out with my camera in our small garden. I was looking for something to photograph and I found some ants scurrying about along a metal wire that stretched from our fence to a tree. I have taken so many ant pictures before so I just watched them for a while without taking photos. Then I noticed that several of them were carrying some injured/dead fellow ants while others were carrying eggs. I suddenly thought of an idea - - - what if I placed some food across their path, what will they do?  

So I went inside the house to get some food and put a few pieces along the pathway of the ants. Then I got my camera ready and started shooting away. What I observed made me respect ants even more!

I noticed that those carrying their injured/dead fellow ants or their eggs, just went on with their work and did not even bother to stop where the food was. Only those who were not carrying anything stopped and tried to take bites of the food or went around the food looking for ways to maybe carry it. Nobody succeeded in dislodging the food, but several of them managed to bite off little bits and carried these off too.

       At the upper left-hand corner, the ant carrying an egg, ignored the food in the middle of their pathway.

So I learned that not even food can stop ants (this particular species anyway) from doing and completing what they are supposed to do. Transporting their injured/dead comrades or their eggs are more important than food to these ants!

I have seen movies where people sometimes drop what they are carrying (even if it's another person) if they find food/money on their path. Not these ants! They do what they are supposed to do! Isn't that amazing? That's why I wrote a hub about these amazing creatures! 
       http://hubpages.com/hub/Amazing-Ants

No comments:

Post a Comment

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...