This video features one of the most incredible animal (… insect) behavior you can imagine: To protect their queen from floods, these ants create living floats in the Amazon jungle.
It is well known that some species of ants living in the Amazon jungle are forming massive clumps on the top of large puddles and flooded areas. But until now, no one knew just how the ants managed to pull off that mysterious feat.
According to National Geographic:
Ants work together to protect the queen by strategically placing larvae, pupae, and worker ants at the bottom of the raft. It’s the youngest members of the colony, the larvae, that make up the very bottom of the pile. After the workers grab the nearest larvae and throw them under the heap, they then link jaws to limbs and move around to give the raft its structure. The queen is placed in a position of honor at the very center of the raft—the stablest and safest location for sitting out the flood.
Source: National Geographic
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