What’s the deal with fire ants building rafts?

Odds are if you’ve watched the news at all over the past week, you’ve seen that video of fire ants forming giant rafts in order to survive the flooding going on in South Carolina. (If you have yet to see the footage, check out this video captured by WSAV’s Chris Murray).

According to Mashable, fire ants can assemble these rafts in ridiculously short periods of time–even in as little as 100 seconds–and a 2011 study published by the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) indicates that this can keep thousands of them from drowning for several days, possibly for even up to a week or longer!

The authors of that study explained that they used time-lapse photography to track a group of fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) to study how the creatures were able to link their bodies together so that they could form a waterproof raft. They discovered that the ants could significantly enhance their ability to repel water by linking their bodies together for an unusual survival mechanism.

Grab my tarsi, bro

The research website eXtension explains things in a little more detail. Once the ants’ colony is flooded, the insects gather together on the highest ground to form the raft. They then tip the raft into the water, and the worker ants keep it together by holding tarsi (their version of hands).

The queen is kept safely in the center of the raft, and workers keep the smallest larvae safe by carrying them in her mouth. As for their own safety, workers collect bubble from submerged materials, using them to break surface tension and lift themselves up when necessary. They also constantly move around to keep from being underwater for extended periods of time.

As amazing as it may be to see these ants come together to build a living float, it isn’t really that rare, and it may even pose a health hazard to you and your family. Experts advise to avoid touching these floating fire ant rafts at all costs, as they can bite or sting you if they come into contact with your skin. Be sure to wear gloves, boots, and rain gear when working in flood waters!

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Feature Image: Maggie/Flickr Creative Commons