I've noticed that after I kill an ant if I wait a little while another ant will come and drag it away. I've always wondered why. Is it cannibalism? Something else?
2006-06-28 01:58:41 · 10 answers · asked by Person #8 3 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Zoology
Edit: I kill ants because they're in my house!
2006-06-28 02:08:14 · update #1
It is technically cannibalism, but it has multiple purposes. First ants need to clear away possible food sources for food for them themselves, but also to prevent other ants, or predetors from venturing into their area. Also corpses of any creature become breading grounds for bacteria and disease. However the most profound reason that ants carry off the dead is this. Ants identify the members of a colony by scent. Even other ants will be attacked if they are from another colony. Everything edible to ants is food and the workers simply breakdown almost everything they come in contact with into simple catagories, food, not-food, friend, enemy. When an ant dies its scent changes drastically and though it may still have lingering traces of friend scent it has a more powerful scent of food.
2006-06-28 03:00:23 · answer #1 · answered by Brian_lord 1 · 9⤊ 1⤋
When an ant dies it secretes a certain chemical that tells the other ants it is dead.
Then they take it away for a proper burial. j/k
2006-06-28 02:31:05 · answer #2 · answered by Danielle K 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Why don't people leave their dead in the streets, in hospitals, in nursing homes, on the floor? Because it's uncivilized...and ants are very civilized.
2006-06-28 02:03:16 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
it is cannibalism . more interestingly, were the ants a threat to you or do u kill them for pleasure. jus wonderin
2006-06-28 02:01:08 · answer #4 · answered by browneyedtony 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i kill ants for pleasure, doesnt everyone
2006-06-28 02:01:59 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
browmeyedtony is 100% on the ball in all aspect's.x
2006-06-28 02:04:01 · answer #6 · answered by Tommy D. 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
because they are clean and tidy, leave no mess behind. also they know what community is.. unlike humans
2006-06-28 02:02:18 · answer #7 · answered by tay_jen1 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
free foood that they dont have to go out and look for
2006-06-28 02:02:20 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Probably same reason we do
2006-06-28 02:02:44 · answer #9 · answered by gimmieswag 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
UMMM, to get to the other side. :)
2006-06-28 02:03:15 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋