Ants are truly incredible creatures. Ants, one of the living species best adapted to life on earth, make up about 15% to 25% of the biomass of all land animals in the world. These creatures, which can live almost anywhere in the world, live in complete harmony. Of course, there are some problems created by this harmony. Have you ever witnessed an ant swarm spinning around itself?
If you’ve ever seen swarms of ants swirling around, it’s likely that the vast majority of these ants died shortly after you stopped watching them. The action in which the ants turn around is called the circle of death. Because once an ant enters this vortex, it cannot escape from here. So what’s the reason for this? How do ants move so synchronized that they get into this vortex and can’t find a way out?
Suicide march of army ants: circle of death
Ants are creatures that have separate bodies but act as one body. In army ants, this is much more effective. These ants leave pheromones behind as they move around. Thanks to these pheromones, other ants in the herd can find their way. Although army ants protect the eggs produced by the queen ant and constantly bring new prey to the flock, they are the equivalent of the phrase “strength comes from unity”, but there is a point where they are missing. This is the lack of eyesight. Even sighted ants find their way mostly through pheromones and touching each other.
The circle of death that befell army ants comes from these unity structures. Soldier army ants, in particular, rely on the trail left behind by the last ant in their family. In this way, they can always be together. However, if 1 ant makes a mistake, it will involuntarily be reflected on the other ants. The ant that made a mistake is followed by other ants caught in its pheromone, and those ants are followed by other ants. This puts him in a diversion that will almost wipe out an entire herd. Since everyone is following the other ant, a circle without an exit emerges. It is not easy for ants to get rid of these vortices. Most ants continue to move in this circle, dying of exhaustion and starvation. But the rest continue to spin there. This walk continues until all the ants in the circle die.
The ants’ circle of death can reach incredible proportions.
The death circle of ants can be small or reach very large sizes. The largest recorded circle of death was about 365 meters wide. It took more than 2 hours for a single ant to complete the cycle in this circle. Moreover, it is very easy for ants to start this walk. Changing the direction of just a few ants affects other ants as well. That’s why you don’t try too hard to change the course of the ants.
Today, we have explained to you the circle of death observed in ants and usually ends with death. If you want more content like this, you can share it with us in the comments section.
Sources: National Geographic, Grunge, Gizmodo
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