myrmepropagandistPlease be advised that the use of the term “war” to describe “human group conflict” is highly myrmeocentric. Obviously, there are many similarities between the conflicts of human groups and wars but humans do not (as far as we know) form colonies. Hence, “human group conflict” is preferred by this journal.
sometimes journals contain warnings like the one that I was lampooning in the previous post. I find it funny that in their great care to avoid anthropocentrism these journals make implicitly human centered assumptions. For example: that war is a concept invented by human beings and *not* by ants who have been practicing war, for millions of years longer than people have even existed.
Solar🌄Garden@futurebird not much hope of myrmecology coming up with ways of dealing with human war-mongering then, if the ants are still at it :(
Dinomyrmex gigas are very big ants. You can tell from their name. Imagine a carpenter ant, but three times as big. They live in Borneo in the forests and anyplace with trees and the tree-hoppers they love to farm.
Since they are big powerful ants all out war between colonies is very wasteful. They have a kind of "dance" majors from rival colonies will do to see which ant is "taller."
They stand with their legs as tall as possible and tap each other with antennae.
Dave Dawkins (D. Harrigon)
we do have an ant here that is almost that size - maybe 25mm?
they are quite ponderous when seen out and about on a warm day - doing a lot of tasting the ground with their palps and staying in groups in one area.
Next time I see some, I'll try to get a decent photo. they seem to pretty much ignore observers, dont behave aggressively .. just a bit in awe of the size of their mandibles