What is a Sahara desert ant?

The Sahara desert ant belongs to the genus Cataglyphis , with C. fortis and C. bicolor being the most common species. They are well-adapted to the Sahara's harsh conditions, with the ability to tolerate surface temperatures of 140 °F (60 °C) for brief periods, making them among the most heat-tolerant insects known. Their long legs allow them to move rapidly and keep their bodies elevated above the hot sand as they search for dead insects. They can travel up to 330 feet away from their nests in search of food. Sahara desert ants are social insects that live in colonies, and like other ant species, their colonies consist of queens, males, and workers.

Where does the Sahara desert ant live?

The Sahara desert ant, specifically Cataglyphis fortis and C. bicolor , dwells in the Sahara Desert. They are well-adapted to the extreme heat of this region and can tolerate surface temperatures of 60 °C (140 °F) or higher for short periods while they scavenge for dead insects. Their long legs enable them to move quickly and elevate their bodies above the hot sand as they search for food. These ants navigate effectively, using polarized light as a compass and counting their steps to return to their nests, which are often in areas lacking visual landmarks.

What does the Sahara desert ant look like?

The Sahara desert ant belongs to the genus Cataglyphis , particularly C. fortis and C. bicolor . They are well-adapted to the Sahara's extreme heat, tolerating surface temperatures of 60 °C (140 °F) for short periods, making them among the most heat-tolerant insects. Their long legs enable rapid movement and elevate their bodies above the hot sand as they search for dead insects. Sahara desert ant colonies have queens, males, and workers. The workers, all female, collect food, care for eggs and young, and defend the nest.

How does the Sahara desert ant survive in extreme heat?

The Sahara desert ant is well-adapted to survive the extreme heat of its environment. They can tolerate surface temperatures of 60 °C (140 °F) or higher for short periods, which makes them one of the most heat-tolerant insects known. Their long legs allow them to move quickly and elevate their bodies above the hot sand as they search for dead insects. Because the volatile chemicals in pheromones would evaporate too quickly in the heat to reliably mark routes, Sahara desert ants navigate without the pheromone trails that other ant species use. Instead, they use visual landmarks, polarized light, and a sensory ability called proprioception to measure distance by registering leg movements.

What do Sahara desert ants eat and how do they find food?

Sahara desert ants primarily eat dead insects, scavenging for them in the extreme heat of their habitat. They can withstand surface temperatures of 60 °C (140 °F) or higher for brief periods, making them highly heat-tolerant. These ants navigate using several methods. They measure distance by counting their steps with a sensory ability called proprioception. They also use polarized light as a compass and rely on visual and olfactory cues near their nest. Scent marks help them find their way back to the nest and guide other ants to food sources.

How do Sahara desert ants navigate and avoid getting lost in the desert?

Sahara desert ants ( Cataglyphis fortis ) navigate using multiple methods. They tolerate high temperatures, aided by long legs that elevate them above the hot sand as they search for food. Pheromone trails, common in other ant species, are not reliable for them because the volatile chemicals would evaporate too quickly in the heat. To measure distance, these ants use a sensory ability called proprioception to register their leg movements and count the number of steps taken. They also use polarized light as a compass. As they get closer to their nest, they rely on visual and olfactory cues to pinpoint the entrance.

Sahara desert ant

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images

Quick Facts

Related Topics:: Cataglyphis bicolor; Cataglyphis; Cataglyphis fortis

See all related content

Sahara desert ant

insect

Written by

J. Whitfield Gibbons

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

History

Natural history

Well adapted to the extreme conditions of their habitat, Sahara desert ants can tolerate surface temperatures of 60 °C (140 °F) or higher for short periods, making them one of the most heat-tolerant groups of insects known. Long legs allow them to move rapidly and elevate their bodies above the scorched sand and salt-pan terrain as they forage for dead insects. The high temperatures of the Sahara preclude navigation through the use of the pheromone trails that aid many ant species in returning to their nests; the volatile chemicals in the pheromones would evaporate far too quickly in the heat for them to demarcate routes reliably.

As eusocial insects, Sahara desert ant colonies are a family community of which every ant is an integral unit. Like many other ant species, there are three castes within a colony: queens, males, and workers. The fertile female, the queen, performs only one task: egg laying. The workers, all of whom are female, are responsible for food collection, care of the eggs and young, as well as defense of the nest. Males serve only to mate with the queen, though the queens of some species are able to produce female progeny via parthenogenesis.

Britannica Quiz

Match the Baby Animal to Its Mama Quiz

Navigation

Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the mechanism by which Sahara desert ants are able to return to their nests in a straight line after typically circuitous searches for food up to 100 meters (330 feet) away. One hypothesis was that the insects use visual landmarks to plot their courses. However, the territory surrounding their nests is often devoid of any features that could potentially serve as points of reference. The suggestion that the ants use polarized light as a guide is contradicted by the observation that they are able to assess how far they have walked even in the dark.

Matthias Wittlinger of the University of Ulm (Germany) and colleagues hypothesized that the ants measure the distance traveled by registering their leg movements using a sensory ability called proprioception. To test the hypothesis, the researchers conducted experiments in which specimens of C. fortis were trained to walk from a nest to a feeder along a 10-meter (33-foot) channel that was open so that directional information could be obtained from the sky. Prior to releasing ants to return home in a parallel test channel, the researchers modified the gaits of two groups of ants. They lengthened the gait of one group by attaching pig bristles to their legs to function as stilts and shortened the gait of the ants in the second group by severing the outer part of each leg. After the treated ants had taken food, they were released to return home. Ants with stilts took longer strides and consistently walked beyond the point where their home site would have been, whereas the ants with shortened legs did not go far enough. When the ants with modified legs later walked from the home site to the feeder, they accurately assessed the return distance home, owing to the same stride length in the outbound and home-bound trips. The investigators concluded that the ants measure the distance traveled by some mechanism that counted the number of steps taken.

Experiments conducted by other scientists determined that the ants in fact do use polarized light as a compass, augmenting the pedometric function of their legs. Upon approaching the nest, the ants then begin using visual and olfactory cues to find the exact location of the entrance.

Explore Britannica Premium!

The trusted destination for professionals, college students, and lifelong learners.

J. Whitfield Gibbons The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica