Army ants don’t pose a threat to humans as portrayed in movies, but their biology is extraordinary and worth discussing.
With large mandibles and powerful sting, army ants are powerful and efficient predators. Most of them prey on other ants, but some of their species feed on other insects and even lizards, frogs, and birds.
So do army ants find food by smell or by sight? Let’s find out.
1. How Do Army Ant Find Food?
Army ants are considered to be lethal creatures, and they’ll eat anything in their path. They work together in sync and form a super-organism when they do. These creatures move and hunt like a single predator, and with their large scissor-like jaw called the mandible, they tear through anything.
They move at a very high speed, meaning most prey can’t outrun them. But army ants are almost blind and can’t recognize the difference between dark and light. The prey is detected through their movement and the smell of pheromones.
Some ants (referred to as worker ants) first move out in search of food. And whenever they detect something, a specific pheromone is released to call others for reinforcements. As soon as the others in the group detect the smell, they quickly reach the site following the pheromone trail to feed on the insect. In fact, they can kill bugs and insects that are six times their size.
While some prey are cut into pieces and are toted back to the colony, others are fed then and there.
2. What’s The Principle Behind Pheromone Trail?
The principle behind this is very simple. Ants returning to the colony with a food source leave a pheromone trail, and because food paths have the highest pheromone densities, most choose to follow them.
Likewise, they leave pheromones trail while going to “hunt, which helps the others to reach the food source easily the next time. Unlike other ant species, army ants lay pheromones when returning with prey as well as when advancing with the troop.
3. How Do They Detect Sugar?
Like other ant species, army ants detect sugar and other food using chemosense. This is the ability to detect any chemical substance in the environment. The olfactory receptors present in their body respond to the smell, and they sprint to the location of chemicals.
Furthermore, the food collected by these army ants are brought back for their queen and others who are left behind. And the leftover food is stored for future emergencies.
Final Words
Army ants are probably the deadliest and most intelligent of all ant species. Compared to carpenter ants or other species, they move and hunt prey much faster. Plus, they leave behind a strong pheromone trail, which helps their fellow ants to reach the food source much quickly.
So, I hope you have learned a few things today about an army ant. I will be back soon- till then goodbye and take care!