Ants go swimming
13 March 2006
by Richard Conan-Davies
| An ant that can swim has been discovered by a team of Australian scientists from Townsville's James Cook University, according to a report from ABC online. Dr Simon Robson from the university explained that he came across the unique behaviour of the ant, polyrhachis sokolova, while working on a film project. They placed the ant on rock in the middle of a puddle, for a better view, but it jumped and swam away. Some
of the filming was for the nature documentary Life in the
Undergrowth. Dr Robson explained that "These ants live
in mangroves and their nests are frequently submerged under water.
The ants are able to survive in this environment by hiding in
air pockets in the nest and by swimming across the water.
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image: Jeff Wright JCU |
Related Links
Original press release from James Cook Univeristy
Nature
& Science News
ClearlyExplained.com