Tool use is considered an indicator of cognitive sophistication and has been observed primarily in primates and some bird species. We knew that some ant species can use tools, particularly to collect liquid food; however, These new data allow us to be surprised by the remarkable use of tools displayed by black fire ants..
The black fire ants, Solenopsis richteri, are native to South America, but are now an invasive species in the southern United States after being introduced.
To survive
These findings suggest that ants and other social insects may have considerable cognitive abilities for unique foraging strategies. In particular, andThis species of ants uses sand to extract liquid food from containers when they are at risk of drowning..
In it laboratory experiment, when provided with small containers of sugar water, black fire ants were able to float and feed on the surface, but when the researchers reduced the surface tension, the ants began depositing grains of sand inside the container as they came out of it. .
As explained Aiming Zhou, associate professor at Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China, and lead author of the research:
We discovered that the ants used sand to build a structure that could extract sugar water from the container and then collect it. This exceptional tool-making ability not only reduced the ants' risk of drowning, but also provided a larger space for them to collect sugar water.
These structures were never observed when ants were feeding in containers of pure sugar water, indicating an adaptable approach to the use of this new tool.
–
The news
To avoid drowning, this species of ants is capable of using tools
was originally published in
Xataka Science
by
Sergio Parra
.