Ant mill
Encyclopedia
An ant mill is an observed phenomenon in which a group of army ants
separated from the main foraging party lose the pheromone
track and begin to follow one another, forming a continuously rotating circle. The ants will eventually die of exhaustion. This has been reproduced in laboratories and the behaviour has also been produced in ant colony simulations. This phenomenon is a side effect of the self-organizing structure of ant colonies
. Each ant follows the ant in front of it, and this will work until something goes wrong and an ant mill forms. An ant mill was first described by William Beebe
in 1921 who observed a mill 1,200 feet (365 m) in circumference. It took each ant 2.5 hours to make one revolution. Similar phenomena have been noted in processionary caterpillars
and fish.
Army Ants
Army Ants are a discontinued fantasy toy soldier line from Hasbro in much the same venue as the M.U.S.C.L.E. and Monster in My Pocket lines. It featured an army of humanoid ants....
separated from the main foraging party lose the pheromone
Pheromone
A pheromone is a secreted or excreted chemical factor that triggers a social response in members of the same species. Pheromones are chemicals capable of acting outside the body of the secreting individual to impact the behavior of the receiving individual...
track and begin to follow one another, forming a continuously rotating circle. The ants will eventually die of exhaustion. This has been reproduced in laboratories and the behaviour has also been produced in ant colony simulations. This phenomenon is a side effect of the self-organizing structure of ant colonies
Ant colony
An ant colony is an underground lair where ants live, eat and mate. Colonies consist of a series of underground chambers, connected to each other and the surface of the earth by small tunnels. There are rooms for nurseries, food storage, and mating...
. Each ant follows the ant in front of it, and this will work until something goes wrong and an ant mill forms. An ant mill was first described by William Beebe
William Beebe
William Beebe, born Charles William Beebe was an American naturalist, ornithologist, marine biologist, entomologist, explorer, and author...
in 1921 who observed a mill 1,200 feet (365 m) in circumference. It took each ant 2.5 hours to make one revolution. Similar phenomena have been noted in processionary caterpillars
Thaumetopoeidae
Thaumetopoeidae is a small family of moths in the order Lepidoptera. The genera in this family have been historically treated as a subfamily within Notodontidae instead....
and fish.
External links
- Ant mill videos:
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGlzoT0sLaM
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtrWlRNXmNw
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gu7mzTPHeJI
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mA37cb10WMU
- A software simulation of an ant mill
- A single ant running in circles