Do Ants Hold Funerals?
WouterDespite the common misconception, ants do not literally hold funerals. While ants do have some funeral rituals, they do not directly bury the dead.
Like other social insects, ants have a very good sense of smell. They are also very structured. They have a rudimentary understanding of the concept of oleic acid, a fatty acid which ants use to communicate with one another.
A small percentage of ants have garbage dumps in their colonies. These are called middens. This is where they leave their waste. The middens are actually very similar to our own garbage piles.
A few ant species actually hold funerals. They take dead comrades on a journey to a midden. While it’s not the most important ritual in the ant colony, it’s actually a very practical gesture. It keeps the colony safe and healthy.
Ants have the best sense of smell of any animal, and this may be the reason why they have a pheromone or oleic acid scented litter box. Ants also use pheromones to communicate with one another.
The ant is also the most complex organism in the animal kingdom, and they’ve got a slew of scientifically oriented processes to get rid of their waste. The most obvious one is necroptosis. The term “necroptosis” comes from the Greek necro meaning “dead.” This is a scientific term used by scientists.
The ant has a few other useful features as well. They are also excellent at storing and displaying food. They also have a highly social nature. When one ant dies, it’s not uncommon for the rest of the colony to carry the dead comrades away from the nest.
