• TofuWater@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      155
      ·
      1 year ago

      Ants follow eachother in a line so they don’t get lost on their way back to the nest. When they’ve lost track of the scent for any number of different reasons back to the nest they will follow the ant in front of them for guidance eventually turning into a “death spiral” seen in the picture. The ants are lost and will never find their way home and will march to their deaths.

    • Triple_B@lemmy.zip
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      39
      ·
      1 year ago

      They run in that circle until they die because they’re all following the one in front of them.

    • Stantana@lemmy.sambands.net
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      25
      ·
      1 year ago

      They’re just following the trail of pheromones ahead of them. It goes around in circles so they’ll just walk and walk until they die of exhaustion.

      Never heard about it so had to read up on it, it’s as obscure as a rat king to me.

          • funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            2
            ·
            1 year ago

            reason why i said “most” not “all” most examples are from the 17th and 18th century when proof was hard to ascertain and there have only been a handful of modern occurring examples since the prevalence of science and photography

            • Curiousfur@yiffit.net
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              4
              ·
              1 year ago

              Far fewer rats living like they did in the 17th and 18th century nowadays, though. It really feels like one of those things where it’s difficult to prove either way since the conditions cannot be duplicated in modern times. I’m still leaning towards more being faked, but not having huge chunks of a population living in 17th century squalor may be a factor in whether or not a rat king could actually form.

              • Ænima@lemm.ee
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                2
                ·
                1 year ago

                Far fewer rats living like they did in the 17th and 18th century nowadays, though.

                TIL rats also have wealthy capitalists siphoning the means of production. Imagine being a rat back then. All the free food and squalor. Makes sense there would be more kings!

              • funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                2
                ·
                1 year ago

                fair. but having gone through a phase where I read all of Crowley, Eteilla, Charles Fort, bunch of Golden Dawn / Rosicrucian texts etc I just get this feeling that it was hokum most of the time for dramatic effect

    • ehrenschwan@feddit.de
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      1 year ago

      I believe they usually follow the trail of the ants walking infront of them so when they’re walking in a circle they’ll technically walk in a circle indefinitely.