The ants blindly follow each other to find food to feed the queen and the colony. These pheromones produce an almost “hive mind” community. Their ability to work so well together and follow each other in an almost robotic way is thanks to the pheromones the ants produce that attract other ants to follow them. Army ants are blind, but they can find food and move freely by following each other’s scent. In fact, an individual ant would not likely survive on its own, but as a collective effort, the ants feed the entire colony and can build intricate tunnel systems. If this ant gets off track or ends up breaking the formation, the ants may end up in this endless “death spiral.” Why Does The “Death Spiral” Occur?Īrmy ants work very well as a group. Army ants are blind, so they follow the pheromones of a single lead ant. Keep reading to find out! What Is The “Death Spiral”? Army ants are blind, but they can find food and move freely by following each other’s scent.Ī “death spiral” is a strange natural phenomenon in which a colony of ants essentially commits suicide by following each other in an endless circle until they die of exhaustion. So what is the “ant death spiral”? And why does it happen? Unfortunately, the little critters may end up paying the ultimate price simply because their instincts lead them to their demise. This saying could not be more true for army ants. “Follow something blindly, and you’ll end up paying the price.” This event is a strange natural occurrence that is a unique hiccup in evolutionary biology. One of the craziest animal adaptations is the “ant death spiral” or “ant mill.” This happens when army ants get lost in a pheromone track. But not all adaptations make sense some are so strange they almost seem like a glitch in the matrix. For example, giraffes have extra long necks to help them reach the leaves in high trees, and camels have extra long eyelashes to protect their eyes from the harsh sandy conditions in the desert. The way that animals adapt to their environments is truly a spectacle.
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