Polyrhachis femorata ants feigning death. Credit: S. Topa Petit
A species of ant on Kangaroo Island renowned for its industrious nature has actually now demonstrated a brand-new talent– “playing dead”– a behavior that scientists from the University of South Australia believe is a world initially.
While performing a check on pygmy-possum and bat nest boxes on Kangaroo Island, scientists stumbled upon a nest of Polyrhachis femorata ants that appeared to be dead. However, to their surprise, one ant suddenly moved.
Scientists think the ants were “playing dead” as a protective technique to prevent possible threat.
Released by CSIRO, this is the very first time that an entire colony of ants has actually been tape-recorded feigning death, and the very first record of the Polyrhachis femorata ant species for South Australia.
Wildlife ecologist, UniSAs Associate Professor S. Topa Petit, states she was surprised to discover a colony of what appeared to be dead ants in one of the nest boxes.
” The mimicry was perfect,” Assoc Professor Petit says. “When we opened package, we saw all these dead ants … and after that one moved slightly.
” This sort of defensive immobility is known among just a couple of ant species– in people or specific casts– however we do not understand of other instances when its been observed for entire colonies.
” In some of the boxes including nests of Polyrhachis femorata, some individuals took a while to stop moving, and others didnt stop. The triggers for the behavior are hard to comprehend.”
Assoc Prof Petit states that nest boxes may provide an opportunity to study the ants death-feigning habits, which are of excellent interest to numerous behavioral ecologists investigating a variety of animal species.
The discovery was made during the Kangaroo Island Nest Box Project, where 901 box cavities have been kept an eye on across 13 diverse properties as part of wildlife healing efforts following the ravaging 2020 bushfires.
Co-researcher at the Kangaroo Island Research Station, Peter Hammond, states that he used to call the Nest Box Project Friends of the Invertebrates, because invertebrates were typically the only occupants of the bat and pygmy-possum nest boxes.
” We are learning a lot about invertebrates as well as targeted vertebrates,” Hammond states.
” Most of our numerous hundred boxes are on scorched ground, but we likewise have some on unburnt homes as controls because our goal is to identify the value of nest boxes in bushfire recovery.
” Polyrhachis femorata is highly associated with the critically endangered Narrow-Leaf Mallee neighborhood, where it colonized several boxes very rapidly. However, we also have records for 2 other properties further west, showing that the ants will utilize other habitats.
” We believe that the Polyrhachis femorata species was strongly impacted by the bushfires.”
Assoc Prof Petit states there is a lot to discover about this types.
” Polyrhachis femorata is a lovely arboreal ant that tends to be quite shy, however little else is understood about its ecology or habits,” Assoc Prof Petit says.
” We have a relatively unknown world of ants under our feet and in the trees. Ants supply important community services and are an essential part of functional ecosystems on Kangaroo Island and somewhere else.
” It is really exciting that such a charming species as Polyrhachis femorata is surviving on Kangaroo Island and we look forward to learning more about its ecology.
” We believe that other ants with similar death-feigning habits will be discovered in Australia, but it is delighting to be amongst the leaders.”
Referral: “Polyrhachis femorata (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) environment and colony defensive immobility method” by Sophie Petit, Peter A. Hammond, Brian Heterick and John J. Weyland, 28 April 2023, Australian Journal of Zoology.DOI: 10.1071/ ZO22042.
