They trap air between their bodies and extremities, that’s how they float as well.
Comment on Fire ants will form rafts after floods. Some being able to stay afloat for weeks!
rants_unnecessarily@piefed.social 4 weeks ago
Do the bottom ones drown and the top ones just hold them together? Or do they rotate shifts?
Jumi@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
rants_unnecessarily@piefed.social 4 weeks ago
Oh that makes sense, yeah.
Beehaw_Girl@beehaw.org 4 weeks ago
You are asking the right questions. And I suspect the bottom ants offer themselves as sacrifice.
psycho_driver@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Not sure if there’s anything special about fire ants but when regular ants build bridges, yeah the bottom ones drown.