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Did you know how ants can find food 200 meters away? Discover their amazing search strategy!
Ants and termites are known for their unique behavioral patterns, among which "two-person running" is an amazingly coordinated movement that provides an effective strategy for social learning and finding resources. Recent research has revealed that this is not only the process by which ants forage for food, but also an excellent example of their teaching and learning.
Over short distances, running in tandem not only helps with navigation, but also delivers critical survival information.
Running for two: social learning in ants
In the process of searching for food, ants lead their companions from the nest to the food source by running in pairs, which plays an important role in social learning. This form of interactive teaching allows followers to learn navigation techniques in a shorter time without having to rely on exploring alone. According to research, the follower in a tandem needs to rely on its antennae to be in constant contact with the leader's legs and abdomen to maintain contact.
How it works: Behavioral characteristics and navigation techniques
In the process of double running, ants use various senses to navigate, and up to 35% of ants will move in pairs to find food. Although vision plays an auxiliary role in navigation, followers mainly rely on information from touch and other senses to follow. When ants were blinded in experiments, most blind ants were still able to perform follower and leader roles, suggesting that sense of direction does not rely entirely on vision.
The leader needs to rely more on the follower's tactile feedback during a two-person run to ensure that the correct path is followed.
Costs and benefits of double running
Although the leader takes four times longer to reach the food source in a two-player run, the follower gains a significantly greater time advantage. They are able to find food sources more quickly and, in the process, assist the leader in carrying food back to the nest. This strategy can not only effectively reduce exploration time, but also improve the efficiency of the entire group.
The combination of education and social learning
The real pedagogical value of tandem running is the transfer of knowledge through experience. Young and inexperienced ants need to follow and explore independently in order to become future leaders. In this process, independent exploration not only improves the path, but also improves the two-person running strategy. Research shows that after a successful independent exploration, ants can significantly shorten the length of a two-person run.
Two-person run in termites
In termites, the behavior of double running occurs mainly during mating. The female is often the leader, guiding the male through interpretive messages, and tactile interactions are also crucial in this process. The double running behavior of termites is diverse and flexible. In some cases, following behavior between members of the same sex is even observed to reduce the risk of predation.
Conclusion
Two-person running is an extremely important behavioral pattern for both ants and termites, not only reflecting their social and collaborative abilities, but also demonstrating the diversity of learning and teaching in the biological world. This kind of interaction is not limited to finding food, but also how to promote the survival and prosperity of the entire group through the transfer of experience. After observing this behavior of ants and termites, we can’t help but wonder: Do similar teaching and social behaviors exist in other animal kingdoms?
