myrmepropagandist

Ever wonder what ants sound like? Like many other arthropods ants use their exoskeleton as a resonant instrument. Ant sounds are used to communicate along with pheromones and antennae taps. This album by Kauai Shen is all ant sounds! (I really want to meet Kauai, anyone know him?) he is excited about parallels between vinyl records & stridulating exoskeletons.

https://kuaishen.bandcamp.com/album/stridulation-amplified-compositions-with-the-stridulatory-organ-of-atta-cephalotes

Stridulation Amplified: compositions with the stridulatory organ of Atta cephalotes, by Kuai Shen

7 track album

Kuai Shen
Dec 12, 2023 at 12:30pmWeb
Show threadmyrmepropagandistDec 12, 2023
We shouldn’t be surprised that ants sing songs. I suspect ants would be surprised that soft mushy creatures like ourselves can make noise at all as we are so disadvantaged having no sturdy shell for our limbs or body.
#ants #music #atta #antSounds
Show threadEmile SnyderDec 12, 2023
@futurebird that's so cool! Do you know if those recordings are frequency shifted? I feel like I remember hearing similarly mind blowing recordings of mice where they had been slowed down to bring them into normal human ranges...
Show threadClive ThompsonDec 12, 2023

@futurebird

This is wonderful

Show threadcobalt going beige todayDec 12, 2023
@futurebird I read the description on the process and it’s great. Inspiring work.
Show threadVirginicusDec 12, 2023
@futurebird Unplug the jukebox and do us all a favor.
Show threadBill HookerDec 12, 2023

@Virginicus You monster. I'll have that in my head for a week.

@futurebird

Show threadresipiscentDec 12, 2023
@futurebird
#InvisiblSkratchPiklz
"The recordings were engraved in a vinyl record, a medium which is in fact a polymer derivative of the organic polymer, which naturally composes the exoskeleton of ants and most insects on the planet, i.e., chitin"
Show threadBill HookerDec 12, 2023
@futurebird I just listened to the whole album, it's really quite soothing.
Show threadBarry GoldmanDec 12, 2023
@futurebird i know this woman thru my sister, they went to school together, she always been working with ants and drums
https://www.lisaschonberg.com/ant-acoustics-in-amazonas
she is at RPI in NY now, not sure what her current projects are.
ATTA: Amplifying the Tropical Ants — lisa ann schonberg

lisa ann schonberg
Show threadmyrmepropagandistDec 13, 2023

@barrygoldman1

There's an ... atta music community almost... this is the best discovery ever!

Show threadBarry GoldmanDec 13, 2023

@futurebird did i ever tell u how i started in ants? i was doing botany. found two related species of vetch (Viccia) next to each other.

one had ants all over it the other didndt. when i messed with the ant vetch, the ants would start snapping their heads against the stems (i guess to call for help)

i then noticed the ant plant had nectaries and the related spp didn't!

i took some ants home, found an ant book in the library (The Ants) and keyed them out to Camponotus...

thus it began

Show threadMichael ThériaultDec 15, 2023
@futurebird Thanks. There’s an entomologist in the house. I’ve forwarded it to her.