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Did you know? Ants have designated undertakers
The undertakers are informed that a life has been lost when an ant dies because the body releases a number of chemical signals.
In some cases, the undertakers even remove live ants who aren’t quite dead yet but are behaving strangely—just in case. Photo Credit: Alex Wild 2014
From searching for food to protecting the colony, teamwork is essential in the complex and busy world of ants. However, did you know that certain ants are also involved in the dreadful duty of dying?
Although it may sound a little graphic, ants in the insect realm don’t just leave their fallen friends’ bodies lying where they fell. Rather, some worker ants, referred to as “undertakers,” are tasked with the important task of transporting the dead to the colony’s trash pile, which functions as a kind of “ant graveyard.”
It is a meticulous procedure. The undertakers are informed that a life has been lost when an ant dies because the body releases a number of chemical signals. The undertaker then takes action, making sure the nest is kept hygienic while delicately removing the deceased from the colony. By halting the spread of illness, this behaviour preserves the colony’s health and peace.
These undertakers are also more than just unthinking carriers. According to studies, they perform their jobs with a certain amount of intelligence and frequently handle the remains with care and accuracy. In certain species, additional ants may even assume the undertaker position in order to hasten the process of colony collapse.
This innate tendency to tend to the deceased emphasises how remarkably well-organised and cooperative ant colonies are. No ant is too modest or odd; they all have their duties. Even in the most well-organised communities, death is handled with dignity and care, as demonstrated by the undertakers, who are essential to the colony’s survival while being hardly visible. Therefore, keep in mind that there is much more going on beneath the surface than what is immediately apparent the next time you see a bunch of ants.
