After reading a lot about European Starlings (Dexter's fam), I started thinking about the amazing things some animals do in groups. There are countless incredible examples of this, but here's a little list I compiled of some that I didn't know about.
Asian Honeybees
There's this giant hornet in Asia that is about 2 inches long and has venom that can kill a person regardless of if you're allergic or not. This hornet loves to eat honeybee larvae so when it comes up to a honeybee nest it goes around decapitating dozens honeybees with its huge sharp mandibles to get at the larvae.
Pretty terrifying.
But, Asian honeybees have discovered a defense. When the honeybees sense the hornets Hunting Pheromones, hundreds will guard the front of the nest and when the hornet enters, they swarm! The bees pack around the hornet, buzzing and vibrating denser and denser until the temperature around the hornet reaches 115 degrees Fahrenheit and the carbon dioxide level raises to a point that the hornet cannot survive.
What is also so incredible is that this defense is so successful that the bees give a warning sign, signaling that they see the hornet and are ready to swarm if needed. The Journal of Animal Behavior has a recent study that shows this. The bees give a shaking warning signal, then it's up to the hornet if he wants to risk it or not.
Ants (obviously)
Ants do pretty much everything with incredible group mentality. I know everyone knows that. But, but, I just can't resist this ant raft! It's crazy! Ooooo....and it'd make a pretty sweet painting...(this is why I research)
Asian Honeybees
There's this giant hornet in Asia that is about 2 inches long and has venom that can kill a person regardless of if you're allergic or not. This hornet loves to eat honeybee larvae so when it comes up to a honeybee nest it goes around decapitating dozens honeybees with its huge sharp mandibles to get at the larvae.
Pretty terrifying.
But, Asian honeybees have discovered a defense. When the honeybees sense the hornets Hunting Pheromones, hundreds will guard the front of the nest and when the hornet enters, they swarm! The bees pack around the hornet, buzzing and vibrating denser and denser until the temperature around the hornet reaches 115 degrees Fahrenheit and the carbon dioxide level raises to a point that the hornet cannot survive.
What is also so incredible is that this defense is so successful that the bees give a warning sign, signaling that they see the hornet and are ready to swarm if needed. The Journal of Animal Behavior has a recent study that shows this. The bees give a shaking warning signal, then it's up to the hornet if he wants to risk it or not.
Ants (obviously)
Ants do pretty much everything with incredible group mentality. I know everyone knows that. But, but, I just can't resist this ant raft! It's crazy! Ooooo....and it'd make a pretty sweet painting...(this is why I research)
Also, fun ant fact that I leaned watching the Lord of the Ants on NOVA; ants emit a decaying scent after about 3 days after one dies. Then the rest of the ants smell it, pick it up, and throw it in the trash pile. But, if you apply that same scent (it's some sort of chemical) onto a live ant, the other ants still pick it up and throw it in the trash pile. The live ant has to clean itself off, till the smell is gone, and then join the others. If it hasn't cleaned itself enough, it'll be picked up and thrown away again.
Oh ants, you're too funny.
Goats
In yet another study posted by the Journal of Animal Behavior, scientists found out that kid goats change their accents depending on social groups. And to this I say, "awwww!!"
Oh ants, you're too funny.
Goats
In yet another study posted by the Journal of Animal Behavior, scientists found out that kid goats change their accents depending on social groups. And to this I say, "awwww!!"
After recording the voices of young goats, scientist found that, "genetically-related kids produced similar calls...but the calls of kids raised in the same social groups were also similar to each other, and became more similar as the kids grew older."
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