Researchers at the University of Colorado, Boulder, tested longhorn crazy ants’ (Paratrechina longicornis) ability to transport an object while blocking the path to their nest with a Lego obstacle course. Pieces of canned tuna were the objects of choice, due to the ants’ food preference.
The study was published Nov. 14 in the Journal of Experimental Biology.
Researchers in the university’s department of ecology and evolutionary biology found that longhorn crazy ants use a stochastic strategy that allows them to navigate around obstacles.
When the ants approached the barriers, they used one of two methods: When they approached a strip of Legos, they moved along the barrier until they reached the end, then continued in the direction of their nest. When they approached a cul-de-sac-shaped Lego structure, after unsuccessfully using the first strategy, they carried the piece of tuna in a direction away from their nest until they escaped, then continued around the structure in the direction of the nest.
The study also found that the groups prefer to move toward the nest, though the longer they were obstructed, the more likely they were to move away from the direction of the nest — which increases the chance of finding a path around the obstacle.
Interestingly, if a group of ants carrying the tuna was trapped by Legos with no exit, they abandoned their efforts.
The video above shows ants using the two methods.
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