How Do Ants Take Care of Their Dead?
WouterUnlike humans, ants don’t have a special place to bury their dead. Instead, they bring them to a midden, which is similar to an ant dumpster. This is a shared place for garbage and dead ants.
Ants have a great sense of smell and communicate through chemicals. These chemicals allow the ants to communicate with other ants and warn them of danger. They may also feed their dead comrades to another creature. The dead bodies of ants are fermented into a special ant delicacy.
Several insects, including bees, also practice necrophoresis. Ants are believed to rely on pheromones, a chemical compound that allows ants to communicate with each other.
Some ants carry dead comrades to a midden, or “ant graveyard,” where they lay them to rest. This process helps prevent infection. As the ants move the dead to the midden, they release pheromones, which attract more ants.
Unlike humans, ants don’t mourn their dead. They don’t have special equipment or clothes to cover their bodies. Instead, they carry dead members away from the nest and to a graveyard. The ants are able to do this because the corpses don’t smell like living ants. They also have an incredible sense of smell, which allows them to recognize the smell of death.
However, this process is not understood by scientists. It is believed that the ants’ smell of death is due to a chemical compound in the mandibular glands of ants. Researchers identified this chemical compound as dimethyl disulfide. This chemical compounds is also found in bees and is believed to cause necrophoresis.
