Post ArxpAlhM8GOYY3Tfea by markproxy@bigshoulders.city
(DIR) More posts by markproxy@bigshoulders.city
(DIR) Post #ArxpAlhM8GOYY3Tfea by markproxy@bigshoulders.city
2025-03-12T01:51:49Z
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Sadly, our cat caught an anole today. It shed its tail, but Kitty Lenore was focused on her quarry and walked off with the tailless lizard in her mouth. Fortunately, she doesn't seem to know she can eat a lizard. She dropped it, it shot off, and it escaped under the door to our laundry room -- to live on, I hope.Not long thereafter, I found that ants were carrying the tail up a nearby wall!
(DIR) Post #ArxpAmt5i7NOEjyYaG by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-03-12T02:05:23Z
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@markproxy I'm glad the anole got away. Poor little guy. I would like to identify these ants, but going just on size and gaster shape alone is risky. They look very small. Were they especially small (for ants)? It could be Monomorium sp. but they could also be Paratrechina longicornis which is invasive, but largely naturalized. The social carrying makes me think it's Paratrechina longicornis (aka "crazy ants" though that common name is no good it's used for too many sp.)
(DIR) Post #ArxpWBbb0OrUykzp32 by swope@mstdn.plus
2025-03-12T02:09:15Z
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@futurebirdAnteresting. 🙂 @markproxy
(DIR) Post #Arxpf9QqSIcyqQF5U0 by snork303@toot.community
2025-03-12T02:10:53Z
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@futurebirdI knew I could count on you. @markproxy
(DIR) Post #ArxpgriZHrmuU5LjpA by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-03-12T02:11:14Z
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@swope @markproxy I'm putting my money on Paratrechina longicornis you can see the "long cornis" on this one right here:
(DIR) Post #ArxppTPD35b1ggOomu by markproxy@bigshoulders.city
2025-03-12T02:12:43Z
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@futurebird The ants are in Mérida, Yucatán. A little larger than the ants I'm most familiar with from growing up in the Midwest.
(DIR) Post #ArxqPng59fBwz9c5k8 by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-03-12T02:19:18Z
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@markproxy About this size? I'm becoming more confident these could be Paratrechina longicornis (aka "crazy ants" but please don't call them that, there are ants from like five different genuses that go by that common name. It's no good. )
(DIR) Post #ArxqaicGJXOiTM26HQ by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-03-12T02:21:13Z
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@markproxy The first group of ants were probably trying to get it far enough away that these ants wouldn't take over. Sometimes they will bury a large item like that. I would have loved to watch "the change over" Paratrechina longicornis likes to run around in the sun and stay warm. Might come back when the sun is out again.
(DIR) Post #ArxrRGLa9Fty95HmbY by markproxy@bigshoulders.city
2025-03-12T02:30:47Z
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@futurebird That looks quite similar to the first group of ants that tried to get the limb back to their nest.
(DIR) Post #Arxrg5lvkS21gvgIlM by markproxy@bigshoulders.city
2025-03-12T02:33:27Z
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@futurebird I'll check back tomorrow. If nothing else, I should be able to get some better macro shots for an ID.
(DIR) Post #ArxrvTzjyFvdA1Tnjk by markproxy@bigshoulders.city
2025-03-12T02:36:10Z
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@futurebird Here's a video of the first group. (This is my first time posting a video straight to Mastodon. Let me know if it doesn't come through properly.)
(DIR) Post #Arxt1t7rXzLynKtfhA by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-03-12T02:48:38Z
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@markproxy It looks great! Are they sped up?
(DIR) Post #ArxtFc5Th05y0NKHcu by markproxy@bigshoulders.city
2025-03-12T02:49:49Z
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@futurebird Your comment about social carrying makes me think the ants so efficiently moving the fallen filament of a lily in this music video I made for a friend are also Paratrechina longicornis. I took the footage in a different house, also in Mérida.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJCu-4dXerY
(DIR) Post #ArxtGzXly4EZ2kDa1w by markproxy@bigshoulders.city
2025-03-12T02:51:19Z
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@futurebird No, that's actual speed.
(DIR) Post #ArxtKjt47X7HdxxrQe by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-03-12T02:52:02Z
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@markproxy Yeah. Those are Paratrechina longicornis (the common name "longhorn ants" might be OK.)
(DIR) Post #ArxtMqQuknR6WanjEm by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-03-12T02:52:27Z
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@markproxy Nice song! (and video!)