Ants Will not Forget the Smell of Their Enemies

Weaver ants (Oecophylla smaragdina). (Picture from: http://holykaw.alltop.com/)

To mark the enemy ant colonies forming a "shared memory" of the smell of their enemies. Ants keep odor when fighting with the enemy from the other colonies. Smell it and then shared with other ants of the colony. Thus the findings of the researchers of University of Melbourne Australia. 

Lead researcher, Mark Elgar, explaining all the ants in the colony are able to experience each other. The research reported in the journal Naturwissenschaften it says is the key chemical from a herd of ants. Ant to identify the herd of the nest with the "chemical signature" that covers the body of each member and distinguish odors from intruders who might be attacked. 

The research team conducted experiments with colonies of weaver ants (Oecophylla smaragdina), which are more aggressive to ants from nearby rival nests, just as sports rivalries are greater between teams from the same city, like the Manchester City  and Manchester United. (Picture from: http://www.futurity.org/)

Elgar said such capabilities as "good attitude of organization". "(As) you are warned against a person and his associates who heard it told to the other colleagues who did not know before," said Elgar. 

The researchers studied tropical ants / weaver ants (Oecophylla smaragdina), which build nests in trees. One nest holds up to 500 thousand worker ants. Weaver ants build intricate nests in trees and are found in northern Australia, India, and Africa. *** [BBC | SRI | PIKIRAN RAKYAT 01032012]
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