The ant of the desert

1992/10/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Zoologia

In the Sahara, at noon, temperatures are 60ºC and finding some shade in the Sahara is a fiction. At this time, while most of the animals are in their shelters, the desert ant comes out in search of food. This insect uses tactics to cope with these harsh conditions.

When the sand burns, even though the ant has six legs, it bites on both legs. The risk of dehydration minimizes insect exposure. For this it goes very fast, without resting and keeping the maximum breathing to avoid the loss of moisture. Its distance in a second is 100 times greater than its length. As soon as you see dead or living prey, it leaves its nest. He has also found a system not to be missed along the way.

The lines of polarized light of the sky are followed. In addition, you will always choose the shortest way to return to the nest. When it gets tired it goes up to a stem and stretches the front legs.

After analyzing these ants, Dr. Ruediger Wehner, professor of zoology at the University of Zurich, said that they are of the species “Cataglyphis” and has captured the cartography of the routes of ants exploring the desert land. He says that “after analyzing these animals, I think they behave like small computers, that is, small brains have the ability to overcome big problems”.