Scientists were boggled when they witnessed, for the first time, a colony of Leptogenys ants in Southeast Asia forming a daisy chain to carry much larger prey: A millipede. Though cooperative ant behaviour is well-documented, including forming life rafts in floods, this chaining behavior is quite different. Instead of carrying prey directly in their mandibles, the ants are forming organized lines by linking their mandibles to the preceding ant’s abdomen (gaster). Scientists are struggling to understand this previously undocumented type of cooperative transport.
To watch ant daisy-chaining in action, view the gif below.
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Image credit: "Ants Work in Harmony" via LiveLeak
