Till, when they reached the Valley of the Ants, an ant exclaimed: O ants! Enter your dwellings lest Solomon and his armies crush you, unperceiving.
And (Solomon) smiled, laughing at her speech, and said: My Lord, arouse me to be thankful for Thy favour wherewith Thou hast favoured me and my parents, and to do good that shall be pleasing unto Thee, and include me in (the number of) Thy righteous slaves.
(Surah Al-Naml ****e Ants>, 27:18-19)
Getting it off their chest: Study reveals how ants talk to each other
Next time you see an army of ants scurrying around, bear in mind that they may be following orders.
For scientists have shown that the insects talk to each other and are more intelligent than anyone ever realised.
They discovered that ants communicate by stroking a natural 'washboard' on their abdomen with a body part that resembles a plectrum.
Body talk: Queen ants make a subtly different noise rubbing their chests to worker ants, allowing them to talk to each other
Scientists had known for decades that ants make noises by rubbing ridges on their bodies. However, it was assumed the scraping sound was nothing more than an alarm cry.
By placing 4mm microphones and speakers inside a nest of 400 red ants, a team of British and Spanish scientists were able to record the scraping sound of queens and play the sounds back to the workers.
Professor Jeremy Thomas, of Oxford University, who took part in the study, said: 'When we played the queen sounds they did "en garde" behaviour.
'They would stand motionless with their antennae held out and their jaws apart for hours --the moment anyone goes near they will attack.'
Some of the noises made by queens and workers were identical but both groups of ants also had their own unique sounds.
Professor Thomas said: 'Our study shows for the first time that different members make different sounds and that the sounds result in different behaviour.'
The scientists are unsure how the ants 'hear' the sounds. They probably detect vibrations and may have a dedicated part of their bodies that listens out to vibrations in the air.
The study, published in the journal Science, also found that some predators trick ants by mimicking the sounds of the queens.
The life of this world is our journey, NOT destination !!! So... Be always the Best Traveller... who always wish to go back to our Final Home... in Jannah !!! ♥
when I was a kid, I put a fragrant to an ant and put it back to his colony. The result was, his colony didn't recognize him and bit him and throw him outside their nest. Ants recognize each other by smell pheromone and they will fight with ants from other nests - which is recognized by its pheromone.
Hey there! Looks like you're enjoying the discussion, but you're not signed up for an account.
When you create an account, we remember exactly what you've read, so you always come right back where you left off. You also get notifications, here and via email, whenever new posts are made. And you can like posts and share your thoughts. Sign Up
and put it back to his colony. The result was, his colony didn't recognize him and bit him and throw him outside their nest. Ants recognize each other by smell pheromone and they will fight with ants from other nests - which is recognized by its pheromone.
Hide
Looks like you're enjoying the discussion, but you're not signed up for an account.
Posting Permissions
Bookmarks