Post AVuihfD9jaNEltITVA by Paxxi@hachyderm.io
(DIR) More posts by Paxxi@hachyderm.io
(DIR) Post #AVswoG1QnMt3iZvnbU by futurebird@sauropods.win
2023-05-21T15:30:20Z
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Camponotus detritusCamponotus fulvopilosusWhy do so many desert-dwelling ants from the southern areas in Africa have fuzzy gasters? These are basically very similar to carpenter ants from other parts of the world, in most places there is a species of Camponotus this size, often black with majors and big colonies, but in the desert they get so lovely with their fuzzy bums.
(DIR) Post #AVswoGxvHtfudzIVm4 by moliver@pleistocene.social
2023-05-21T15:54:14Z
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@futurebird Do their fuzzy butts collect pollen to bring back to the colony?
(DIR) Post #AVswoHgabpP6sWCBOa by futurebird@sauropods.win
2023-05-21T16:20:12Z
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@moliver I had not thought of that. My guess was that the hair was to reflect sunlight and reduce damage from UV rays... though it leaves me wondering why the ants are black?The ant with the most hair is the Saharan silver ant (Cataglyphis bombycina) who is covered from head to tarsal claw in fine silver hairs that protect her from the sun.
(DIR) Post #AVswoIeV15KHsKE1mC by twizzt@sauropods.win
2023-05-21T16:31:07Z
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@futurebird @moliver There has also been research on turtle ants where researchers have shaved them. I believe their working hypothesis was on moisture control. Completely different environments though. I believe it is ongoing and have no idea if any conclusions have been drawn yet.
(DIR) Post #AVswus0YTfnjGaftA0 by futurebird@sauropods.win
2023-05-21T16:32:01Z
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@twizzt @moliver "son what are you doing at your great new job at the university lab""I'm shaving ants, mama, I'm shaving ants."
(DIR) Post #AVswyKBy985PXxf1f6 by llewelly@sauropods.win
2023-05-21T16:17:42Z
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@futurebird to me, the contrast in these three examples looks potentially aposematic; maybe it's "warning colors".There's also a thermoregulation possibility, but if that's it, why is the fuzz just on the gaster, and what's with the gaps?another possibility is counter shading; some examples result in the gaster being dark on top and light on the bottom. But again, why just the gaster, and why only some of them?I don't know.
(DIR) Post #AVswyKMxUGsQ62nnn6 by moliver@pleistocene.social
2023-05-21T16:32:42Z
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@twizzt @futurebird I hadn't considered that. If they stick their butts out for dew, the hairs could be moisture collectors.
(DIR) Post #AVswyKobpSzjTnjstE by futurebird@sauropods.win
2023-05-21T16:25:11Z
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@llewelly There are spiders that mimic the hair pattern. And their majors are famous for being aggressive known in South Africa as "Balbyter ants" (means just what you think)
(DIR) Post #AVswyLtFpgIwoUv6lk by llewelly@sauropods.win
2023-05-21T16:27:31Z
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@futurebird another possibility: maybe the hairs have some defensive property; one defensive possibility would be urticating hairs, which many arthropods have, and the gaster seems like an important site to defend. That's where a potential predator would chomp.
(DIR) Post #AVszSlj0XmoNXBl70C by futurebird@sauropods.win
2023-05-21T16:56:21Z
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@twizzt @moliver OMG they pin down the ants with a plastic rod while shaving them (after cooling them down so they don't wiggle too much)My poor girl here looks like she's protesting the sheer indignity of this process!https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3538007/Scientists-SHAVING-ants-learn-cool-extreme-heat-Bizarre-study-reveals-hairs-reflect-light-like-prism.html
(DIR) Post #AVszSmUVhAoDuVz32m by NatureMC@mastodon.online
2023-05-21T17:00:14Z
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@futurebird 😭 I just read: "Ants pin down scientists to shave them."@twizzt @moliver
(DIR) Post #AVszSn9zCxzBz9OAgy by twizzt@sauropods.win
2023-05-21T17:00:54Z
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@NatureMC @futurebird @moliver I wish Larson would make that a comic!
(DIR) Post #AVszZeLMO0byfUykvQ by NatureMC@mastodon.online
2023-05-21T17:02:14Z
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@twizzt Yes! 😁 @futurebird @moliver
(DIR) Post #AVuihfD9jaNEltITVA by Paxxi@hachyderm.io
2023-05-22T05:12:17Z
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@futurebird @twizzt @moliver Gillette, the best an ant can get. Imagine the market for ant razors!
(DIR) Post #AVuihgo3nrUJidZSfA by twizzt@sauropods.win
2023-05-22T13:02:35Z
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@Paxxi @futurebird @moliver just to ruin the glamor... The woman I knew who was doing it used a minutent pin stuck backward into a super tiny wood dowel. Rather than shaving hairs, she was basically flicking off the setae. She didn't have the plastic rod contraption to hold them. I believe she used a cotton bud.