5 ms·

Fastest ants in world found in northern Sahara, researchers say

51 points by laurex 7y ago

xcavier 7y ago
So,umm, surely I’m not the only one to make the ‘hot sand’ connection...
- Cheyana 7y ago
  Exactly. I'm in Arizona, and in part of the summer, when I'm at a bus stop I look down and see foraging ants haulin' it on the concrete nearly as fast as the ones in the article. I'm guessing if I took a feather and lightly held one in place for a few seconds it would probably die from the heat.
Razengan 7y ago
> Silver ants travel 108 times their body length per second and have stride rate 10 times that of Usain Bolt ... the ants covered 85.5cm per second in 47 strides. Does this make them the/one of the fastest animals? Things like this really make me wonder what the other sentient species out there must be specialized in, compared to us.
- usainBolt 7y ago
  Three feet per second is 2 MPH, or 3.6 KPH. Elderly humans can walk faster. Meanwhile, I think some flying insects can hit 90 MPH. Actual speed. Scale speed is like Mach 4, above and beyond the SR-71.
  - nagyf 7y ago
    I think what she/he meant is that they are the fastest in body length per second.
mahesh_rm 7y ago
Wait, they are saying this thing runs close to 200km/h. How is it possible that they couldn't come up with decent footage of it doing so?
- komaromy 7y ago
  Where do they say that?
  - fuzzybear3965 7y ago
    Cunningham's Law victims. Or troll victims. Or both. Or neither.
    - fuzzybear3965 7y ago
      And before the wise guy chips in: yes, or a tautology.
- ErikAugust 7y ago
  No. 1 meter per second it reads. That is 3.6km/h.
- vinay427 7y ago
  It was 85.5cm per second or about 3.08 km/h.
donatj 7y ago
I'm confused about the actual speed, as some of the comments make it seem like the speed is relative to a housecat as opposed to actual.
- vinay427 7y ago
  The listed measurement was 85.5 cm in a second which is about 3.08 km/h.
  - Andrex 7y ago
    Thinking about a single ant going 3 kilometers in an hour is gobsmacking.
m463 7y ago
Looking at wikipedia, these guys are playing "the floor is lava" for a short time. "Largely due to the extreme high temperatures of their habitat, but also due to the threat of predators, the ants are active outside their nest for only about 10 minutes per day" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saharan_silver_ant https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saharan_silver_ant
TeMPOraL 7y ago
Offtopic, but, quoting from the box that appeared at the end of article: > As the climate crisis escalates the Guardian will not stay quiet. This is our pledge: we will continue to give global heating, wildlife extinction and pollution the urgent attention and prominence they demand. The Guardian recognises the climate emergency as the defining issue of our times. > Our independence means we are free to investigate and challenge inaction by those in power. We will inform our readers about threats to the environment based on scientific facts, not driven by commercial or political interests. And we have made several important changes to our style guide to ensure the language we use accurately reflects the environmental catastrophe. > The Guardian believes that the problems we face on the climate crisis are systemic and that fundamental societal change is needed. We will keep reporting on the efforts of individuals and communities around the world who are fearlessly taking a stand for future generations and the preservation of human life on earth. We want their stories to inspire hope. We will also report back on our own progress as an organisation, as we take important steps to address our impact on the environment. Ok, so that's about the first time ever when such a box resonated with me. I'm willing to start dropping them money just because of that. But a question first - what's the HN's current opinion on the Guardian as a publication? How accurate are their articles in general? Is it a publication worth supporting?
- mynameishere 7y ago
  It's the type of publication that starts using the word "systemic" because everybody else started using it all the time. That type. Try asking them how "environmental catastrophe" and mass migration to their tiny, developed island go together. Hint: You'll be banned. Out of curiosity, why did such cookie-cutter pablum suddenly resonate with you?
  - TeMPOraL 7y ago
    > Out of curiosity, why did such cookie-cutter pablum suddenly resonate with you? No idea. Perhaps it was the right time, the right moment. I'm extremely sensitive about the climate crisis these days.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]

51 points by laurex 7y ago

xcavier 7y ago

So,umm, surely I’m not the only one to make the ‘hot sand’ connection...

Cheyana 7y ago
Exactly. I'm in Arizona, and in part of the summer, when I'm at a bus stop I look down and see foraging ants haulin' it on the concrete nearly as fast as the ones in the article. I'm guessing if I took a feather and lightly held one in place for a few seconds it would probably die from the heat.

Razengan 7y ago

> Silver ants travel 108 times their body length per second and have stride rate 10 times that of Usain Bolt ... the ants covered 85.5cm per second in 47 strides. Does this make them the/one of the fastest animals? Things like this really make me wonder what the other sentient species out there must be specialized in, compared to us.

usainBolt 7y ago
Three feet per second is 2 MPH, or 3.6 KPH. Elderly humans can walk faster. Meanwhile, I think some flying insects can hit 90 MPH. Actual speed. Scale speed is like Mach 4, above and beyond the SR-71.
- nagyf 7y ago
  I think what she/he meant is that they are the fastest in body length per second.

mahesh_rm 7y ago

Wait, they are saying this thing runs close to 200km/h. How is it possible that they couldn't come up with decent footage of it doing so?

komaromy 7y ago
Where do they say that?
- fuzzybear3965 7y ago
  Cunningham's Law victims. Or troll victims. Or both. Or neither.
  - fuzzybear3965 7y ago
    And before the wise guy chips in: yes, or a tautology.
ErikAugust 7y ago
No. 1 meter per second it reads. That is 3.6km/h.
vinay427 7y ago
It was 85.5cm per second or about 3.08 km/h.

donatj 7y ago

I'm confused about the actual speed, as some of the comments make it seem like the speed is relative to a housecat as opposed to actual.

vinay427 7y ago
The listed measurement was 85.5 cm in a second which is about 3.08 km/h.
- Andrex 7y ago
  Thinking about a single ant going 3 kilometers in an hour is gobsmacking.

m463 7y ago

Looking at wikipedia, these guys are playing "the floor is lava" for a short time. "Largely due to the extreme high temperatures of their habitat, but also due to the threat of predators, the ants are active outside their nest for only about 10 minutes per day" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saharan_silver_ant https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saharan_silver_ant

TeMPOraL 7y ago

Offtopic, but, quoting from the box that appeared at the end of article: > As the climate crisis escalates the Guardian will not stay quiet. This is our pledge: we will continue to give global heating, wildlife extinction and pollution the urgent attention and prominence they demand. The Guardian recognises the climate emergency as the defining issue of our times. > Our independence means we are free to investigate and challenge inaction by those in power. We will inform our readers about threats to the environment based on scientific facts, not driven by commercial or political interests. And we have made several important changes to our style guide to ensure the language we use accurately reflects the environmental catastrophe. > The Guardian believes that the problems we face on the climate crisis are systemic and that fundamental societal change is needed. We will keep reporting on the efforts of individuals and communities around the world who are fearlessly taking a stand for future generations and the preservation of human life on earth. We want their stories to inspire hope. We will also report back on our own progress as an organisation, as we take important steps to address our impact on the environment. Ok, so that's about the first time ever when such a box resonated with me. I'm willing to start dropping them money just because of that. But a question first - what's the HN's current opinion on the Guardian as a publication? How accurate are their articles in general? Is it a publication worth supporting?

mynameishere 7y ago
It's the type of publication that starts using the word "systemic" because everybody else started using it all the time. That type. Try asking them how "environmental catastrophe" and mass migration to their tiny, developed island go together. Hint: You'll be banned. Out of curiosity, why did such cookie-cutter pablum suddenly resonate with you?
- TeMPOraL 7y ago
  > Out of curiosity, why did such cookie-cutter pablum suddenly resonate with you? No idea. Perhaps it was the right time, the right moment. I'm extremely sensitive about the climate crisis these days.
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]