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All the other ants were doing their own thing. This particular ant was carrying its dead comrade....Was he going to eat it? Bury it?? Take it back to its family????

2007-01-14 09:48:48 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics Zoology

10 answers

Ants are very opportunistic foragers and will make a meal of anything they can subdue or find lying around. They typically forage for seeds, organic material, honey dew, and other insects.....including even fallen members of their own colony. This dead ant you saw, if it was the same species could have possibly been the carrying ant's sister (all workers in the colony are sisters). Unlike humans and some other animals insects don't mourn the dead, instead they use their fallen nest mates to their greatest potential....they use them as food.

The fallen ant however still continues to benefit themselves and the entire colony in that the nutrients contained in their body is being used for the greater good of the others......so its death is by far not in vain and its body is not wasted.

Hope this answers your question

2007-01-14 13:09:10 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1 0

According to the American Ant Daily Newspaper, There was an ant war over the ruler of the North American Ant Society, they won the battle and they were parading around the body in celebration.

2007-01-14 09:54:49 · answer #2 · answered by renew69 2 · 0 1

Hello =)

Back to the colony, for a common meal.....

Ants are ultimately very efficient. Cannibalism is a very efficient way to preserve the energy of the colony. So, it happens.....

Ants don't have morality, to my knowledge, but even if they did, the consciousness is not inside the dead corpse any longer, so, it's not all that dreadful from a moral point of view.....

Namaste,

--Tom

2007-01-14 09:55:49 · answer #3 · answered by glassnegman 5 · 2 0

will possibly not have been an analogous variety of ant, notwithstanding if it appeared comparable. the single ant might have linked the different, killed it, and is taking it lower back for foodstuff. Or, ants will possibly not distinguish their very very own sort as not being foodstuff and any element may be up for grabs?

2016-10-07 03:56:52 · answer #4 · answered by matlock 4 · 0 0

just thowing out answers here but maybe it likes the other ant i mean it has a heart :( poor ant gotta carry its dead love back

2007-01-14 09:55:13 · answer #5 · answered by your boss 2 · 0 0

It was probably lunch for his colony. Believe it or not ants are very aggressive and territorial animals. They must have attacked a diffrent colony that was encroaching on theirs and took the spoils home.

2007-01-14 09:54:41 · answer #6 · answered by Mr. Sir 5 · 0 0

recycling? Maybe it was still a good source of nutrients that the colony could still use...

2007-01-14 09:56:52 · answer #7 · answered by churnin 4 · 1 0

they carry it into the mound to a small cremation chamber. then they put the ashes in a small container called an anturn.

2007-01-14 09:54:00 · answer #8 · answered by susan9 3 · 0 2

Dinner maybe?

2007-01-14 10:08:23 · answer #9 · answered by green_baby_dragon 3 · 0 0

can we say storage and dinner for later? that's what it was

2007-01-14 09:52:12 · answer #10 · answered by i hate undies! 4 · 1 1

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