Post B2OKxE7N36X0MPC2ng by esvrld@normal.style
(DIR) More posts by esvrld@normal.style
(DIR) Post #B2OJoI32y1rFzPLUSu by Heliograph@mastodon.au
2026-01-17T23:27:52Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
@futurebird hello dear futurebird, may i ask about something a friend sent me last night, about the relationship between ants and crows... would you think this is accurate?
(DIR) Post #B2OJoJ2NI0ul3c2T3Y by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-01-17T23:32:11Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@Heliograph I don't know enough about crows to say if they "pass down the knowledge from generation to generation" but crows absolutely do get on ants nests, get the ants all upset so they spray formic acid, and do this for crow Health Reasons. They are not the only creatures who do this. So-called "anting" is very upsetting for ground nesting ants. It's just rude IMO. I *do* know that crow will "pass down" other knowledge, such as which humans can be trusted. But is "anting" passed down?
(DIR) Post #B2OJwc3aSWt8MVZCwi by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-01-17T23:33:44Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@Heliograph The main reason I wonder if it's really "passed down" is no because crows don't pass down knowledge. They seem to. But many birds and some other creatures participate in "anting" much to the distress and confusion of the ants.
(DIR) Post #B2OKE7oDetsTlKjGlc by Heliograph@mastodon.au
2026-01-17T23:36:51Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird 😯 oh thank you for reading and writing back!! I had no idea such behaviour exists, so thanks again for even hinting that this might be or even is the case!! Like so often I feel we know so very little about the world around us, because we are too busy not looking 🥺 thereby missing out on a lot to learn...
(DIR) Post #B2OKiEaH293rSjYzjc by Cheeseness@mastodon.social
2026-01-17T23:42:18Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird @Heliograph Do crows not pass down knowledge? This study came to mind (I think I've read a couple of others too). Are there some that refute that conclusion that you know of?https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2011.0957
(DIR) Post #B2OKxE7N36X0MPC2ng by esvrld@normal.style
2026-01-17T23:44:59Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird @Heliograph it's not a simple question because while bathing is to some decree an instinctive behaviour for crows (corvids love to bathe) they do absolutely also learn by observing each other
(DIR) Post #B2OKxw1BpRjOVydjH6 by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-01-17T23:45:08Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@Cheeseness @Heliograph Crows pass down knowledge. I just wonder if they pass down anting in particular ... when it's found in other birds.
(DIR) Post #B2OLSLfR1wxQkexzCy by Cheeseness@mastodon.social
2026-01-17T23:50:39Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird @Heliograph Oh, sorry! I misread your previous message and was very confused >_<Anting is very broadly adopted among birds - many different lineages on different continents AFIK. Suggests it arose a long time ago, but I haven't come across any studies exploring its origins.
(DIR) Post #B2OMFUHhmRRxfQIYka by lionelb@expressional.social
2026-01-17T23:44:34Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@Heliograph @futurebird That is quite right as I understand it. Though not sure about the role of formic acid.The benefit to the ants is their predation on the parasites?You will think me quite mad but I visited my doctor some years ago about what seemed to be quite severe arthritis in my knee. I was wearing a knee support and it affected my walking.I visited some wood ants and knelt down to take some photos of them dismembering a dead wasp. Three or four of them stung me. Two stings near my knee. Within a day, my arthritis symptoms had gone.
(DIR) Post #B2OMFVj2QIuM8U5tzc by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-01-17T23:59:33Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@lionelb @Heliograph There isn't really a benefit to the ants in anting. The parasites on birds are too small for ants to catch and eat. This is more like the birds exploiting the ants natural response to a nest attack to get a formic acid bath. It's not like the little cleaner fish and birds that clean the teeth and scales of larger animals. But, other than unwanted excitement and wasted formic acid it's not that harmful to the ants. I guess it's like a fire drill in a way.
(DIR) Post #B2ON6pf71u8RJfgRrU by colhill@aus.social
2026-01-18T00:09:08Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird "it's just rude IMO" 😊
(DIR) Post #B2OQmkSd3fXhD3WVmK by sashin@veganism.social
2026-01-18T00:50:21Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird @Heliograph I love casually getting very specific information about on my feed!
(DIR) Post #B2Obs3kPsOfZyEZvAe by Ashmire@pagan.plus
2026-01-18T02:28:41Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@lionelb @Heliograph @futurebird Therapeutic Potential of Bee and Wasp Venom in Anti-Arthritic Treatment: A Review - PMC https://share.google/6vVNuhb3uvOOLCITR Would guess ant venom may work similarly?
(DIR) Post #B2Obs5DWPfXsWnCgAy by wendypalmer@mastodon.au
2026-01-18T02:53:27Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@Ashmire @lionelb @Heliograph @futurebird Old beekeepers in my beek group swear by a few stings in the hands to keep the arthritis at bay
(DIR) Post #B2Obs6BmnbkdXhOo6q by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-01-18T02:54:22Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@wendypalmer @Ashmire @lionelb @Heliograph ......is a beek a ... bee geek?
(DIR) Post #B2OcgC7wzmDKRFUbLs by wendypalmer@mastodon.au
2026-01-18T03:03:38Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird @Ashmire @lionelb @Heliograph 😂 it should be! But no, just short for beekeeper
(DIR) Post #B2Od96njsOPqJmpHHM by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-01-18T03:08:53Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@wendypalmer @Ashmire @lionelb @HeliographPlease don't tell them I said that... 🤣
(DIR) Post #B2Oe01YG7oXvNtokAS by wendypalmer@mastodon.au
2026-01-18T03:18:24Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird @Ashmire @lionelb @Heliograph They’ll love it!
(DIR) Post #B2OeG9FjGBuFu0q47U by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-01-18T03:21:22Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@wendypalmer I suppose we could call antkeepers'antkeeps" Which sounds kind of medieval."consult the local antkeep about that issue"
(DIR) Post #B2OfsSxiWrJVzMFVb6 by wendypalmer@mastodon.au
2026-01-18T03:39:28Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird that has a very medieval ring to it 😊