Trap-building ants torture prey(sinister and clever)

BBC News ^ | 04/23/05

[Ichneumon]

"With cunning and patience, ... "

Certainly a product of evolution ... you know ... happenstance, accident, chance, ka-boom fart of the universe.

The behavior is a product of evolution (it's a relatively minor variation on the behavior of other ant species), but the "cunning and patience" part is just a product of the reporter's rhetoric.

[Ichneumon]

While in the Army, I was stationed on an island off the entrance to the Panama Canal accessed thru Ft. Amador. While on one of my explorations of the island, I came across a trail of leafcutter ants that was about 3 feet wide and appeared to extend forever up thru the jungle underbrush. Talk about being totally creeped out, I was traumatized forever.......

I recently read that in some rainforests, leafcutter ants make off with over 10% of the total annual foilage production. Pretty impressive.

[Ichneumon]

The worst part is, those ants in California aren't even American ants. They're from Argentina! They killed our native ants!

Same for the fire ants in Texas and other southern states. They invaded and wiped out the more benign native ants.

[mewzilla]

THEM!!!!

[reagan_fanatic]

Certainly a product of evolution ... you know ... happenstance, accident, chance, ka-boom fart of the universe

Exactly. Amazing what a random collection of cells with no intelligent design whatsoever can do, isn't it?

[knarf]

The behavior reply from Ichneumon is a product of evolution (it's a relatively minor variation on the behavior of other ant species), but the "cunning and patience" part is just a product of the reporter's rhetoric.

Could we ignore the pseudo intelligence of your posts for similar reasons?

If you think about this Ich, I'm trying to elevate you above the ant.

[Ichneumon]

Exactly. Amazing what a random collection of cells with no intelligent design whatsoever can do, isn't it?

It is, but it demonstrably happens anyway, so there you have it.

[Ichneumon]

Could we ignore the pseudo intelligence of your posts for similar reasons?

No, but you might want to try reading it again, because you obviously missed my point.

If you think about this Ich, I'm trying to elevate you above the ant.

So was I -- I was pointing out that the ant's behavior doesn't actually involve any "patience" or "cunning", contrary to what the reporter was claiming about it. The reporter was anthropomorphizing, imputing human qualities to the ants' behavior, when in fact the ants' behavior was mechanistic, pre-programmed into its nervous system by its genetics.

[Zrob]

>The worst part is, those ants in California aren't even American ants. They're from Argentina!

hey, cheer up! dont sound so glum. they just came here to work! be happy and proud youre an american, at least until you have to "Press 1 for Spanish, 2 for Ant, 3 for English" Lets hope that Bush offers them amnesty, thats the compaaaaSHIniTe thing to do.

[Tuscaloosa Goldfinch]

Bought a huge bag of Amdro, didn't work really well, bought a bag of Over and Out, still waiting on the results.

[RightWingAtheist]

[RightWingAtheist]

[reagan_fanatic]

It is, but it demonstrably happens anyway, so there you have it.

You've been able to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt there is no intelligent design whatsoever in the behavior of the lowly ant?

Impressive.

[Old Professer]

Ohmigod, how long will it be before all Amazonian insects will be sporting Hillary Legs?

[Old Professer]

I've heard that if you can get them to eat baking powder they will swell up and bust.