Ants Invade!

Ants Invade!

Scientists have made some amazing discoveries about one species of ant

by Joyce C. Tang
http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/kids/news/story/0,28277,1909337,00.html


One type of South American ant is spreading around the world and is living in huge super-colonies. Not only that, but these natural fighters seem to know they are family and get along, according to the latest scientific findings.


Super-colonies of Argentine ants may be separated by oceans, but they still recognize each other.


The light brown Argentine ants are originally from South America. Over the years, the Argentine ant has moved to other parts of the globe, possibly by hiding in people's luggage and in cargo. This hasn't always been a good thing since the insects can destroy local plants and affect what animals in that area eat.

Ants are fierce fighters. They protect their territory from invaders, including other types of ants and insects. But Argentine ants, though they live on separate continents, don't fight when they come together, scientists say. "Our research found Argentine ants from three continents were rather friendly, and not hostile towards each other," researcher Eiriki Sunamura told the New Zealand Herald.

Are Ants Taking Over?

There are three known super-colonies of Argentine ants. In Europe, one super-colony is located along the Mediterranean Sea. It is believed to be 3,700 miles long. That's even wider than the United States. Another super-colony is located in California. It covers about 560 miles, or about half of the California coast. The third super-colony is on the west coast of Japan.

Scientists in Japan and Spain have discovered that the insects in the three super-colonies share similar chemical profiles. This helps them recognize one another. To prove this, the scientists matched each super-colony with ants from a different colony in a similar part of the world. The Mediterranean ant colony couldn't get along with a smaller one from Spain. And the colony from the west coast of Japan couldn't get along with ants from another area in Japan. But when the ants from the three super-colonies came together, they got along just fine. In fact, they acted like old friends. And how do old ant friends greet one another? By rubbing antennas to say hello.

All in the Family

The scientists think that the Argentine ant super-colonies are one big family. Because they have similar chemical profiles, the scientists believe they are genetically related. The ants recognize each other by the chemical makeup of their outer shells.

Max-I think the Argentine ants are good ants because it only fights with other colonies, but even the Argentine ants’ colonies are separated into different places, they won’t even fight. I think it is a special kind of ant. But the colonies are too big, they are going to take over the world!