Comment on RIP

sexy_peach@feddit.de ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

• TofuWater@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  Ants follow eachother in a line so they don’t get lost on their way back to the nest. When they’ve lost track of the scent for any number of different reasons back to the nest they will follow the ant in front of them for guidance eventually turning into a “death spiral” seen in the picture. The ants are lost and will never find their way home and will march to their deaths.

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  • Th4tGuyII@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    This death spiral/"ant mill" is actually quite short, though still deadly - in the worst case scenarios, a death spiral can be literally kilometers long, some ants might not even make a single revolution around it, which is kinda terrifying to think about.

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    • Monkeyhog@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

      I’m not an ant, so it’s not really scary at all to me.

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      • SkyeStarfall@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

        You don’t follow the pheromones of a fellow humans when you lose track of home?

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  • DesolateMood@lemm.ee ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    :(

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  • misterdoctor@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    Makes you wonder why they’d shout hurrah in that situation.

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• Triple_B@lemmy.zip ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  They run in that circle until they die because they’re all following the one in front of them.

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  • JoShmoe@ani.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    Can’t you redirect their focus by dropping something nutritious nearby?

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    • paddirn@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

      You probably could and that might redirect their focus for a bit, but I would think if they’ve lost the scent/trail back to their hill (which is the original cause for the death spiral in the first place), they’re permanently fubar’d, since they’ll never find their way back unless by accident. It might just delay the inevitable.

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      • Mirodir@discuss.tchncs.de ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

        I would assume you could redirect them to where the scent trail is present/stronger again, i.e. very close to their hill.

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• registrert@lemmy.sambands.net ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  They’re just following the trail of pheromones ahead of them. It goes around in circles so they’ll just walk and walk until they die of exhaustion.

  Never heard about it so had to read up on it, it’s as obscure as a rat king to me.

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  • funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    rat kings are mostly fake though

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    • idegenszavak@sh.itjust.works ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

      Current sience says it’s very rare, but can happen naturally. There are multiple confirmed modern sightings.

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      • funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

        I did say “most,” 1963, 2005 and 2021 are the only real ones I can find.

        Compared to there being dozens in the 17th and 18th centuries

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    • registrert@lemmy.sambands.net ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

      What makes you say that?

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      • funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

        reason why i said “most” not “all” most examples are from the 17th and 18th century when proof was hard to ascertain and there have only been a handful of modern occurring examples since the prevalence of science and photography

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• systemglitch@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  Circle of death! Rip circle ants.

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  • HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    How do we make this just, you know, happen I fuckin hate ants

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    • kattenluik@feddit.nl ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

      There’s zero reason to hate ants? What a lame comment.

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      • ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

        They won’t stay out of my fucking kitchen so I hate them too. Seriously never had this bad of a problem until this house, I too would like to know how to weaponize circle pits in my kitchen.

        If they could read the “no ants allowed” sign we’d be alright, they’re free to live their lives, until they become home invaders, then I have to defend myself.

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      • TeraFloppy@lemmings.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

        Have you had ants setup shop in your coffee maker before, or you cereal? Ants that follow you to work in your butt crack somehow? Lucky you.

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• DanyBGoode@mujico.org ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  Would like to know as well.

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• ehrenschwan@feddit.de ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  I believe they usually follow the trail of the ants walking infront of them so when they’re walking in a circle they’ll technically walk in a circle indefinitely.

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