Ants rescue entrapped relatives

If an ant of the species Cataglyphis cursor gets trapped in sand, its relatives will try to rescue it. They are even smart enough to figure out what is trapping the animal and bite at the tether. This video comes from this publication in the journal PLoS One: http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0006573

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• ants
• insects
• rescue
• help
• cooperation

[MrCtl84]

So did they save the ant or not?

[brembs]

@MrCtl84 In some cases they did, but the researchers designed the tether so that it would be almost impossible.

[mbakerphotography]

I just watched this for 7 minutes and never got to see the ant be freed. >:(

[brembs]

In this video, the experiment is shown in which researchers tested the ability of ants to rescue fellow colony members. They ensnared the ants in a way that was impossible for the rescuers to solve. If ants get trapped by acident, they actually do get rescued.

[MrCtl84]

@brembs oh right, thanks for replying! Cool video none the less :)

[chrismanadventures]

wow that's amazing!