Quick Answer
Most ants cannot swim and will drown if they fall into water. However, some species of ants have adaptations that allow them to float or paddle in water, which could be considered a rudimentary form of swimming. Ants use a combination of water repellency, air bubbles, and leg movements to stay on the surface.
Can Ants Swim?
The vast majority of ants cannot swim and will drown if submerged in water. Ants have dense, waxy exoskeletons that cause them to sink. Their legs and mouthparts are also not designed for aquatic locomotion.
However, ants have evolved different strategies to survive around water:
Floating
Some ants can float by trapping air bubbles around their bodies. Species like honeypot ants have repellent surfaces that push water away, allowing them to form a protective air layer. Other ants like weaver ants and red imported fire ants can trap air between dense hairs on their bodies, creating a life jacket effect.
Paddling
A few ant species can propel themselves along the surface of water through leg paddling motions. Examples include army ants, whose long legs allow them to create momentum. Bull ants and some fire ants can also coordinate leg strokes to generate limited forward movement. However, their swimming ability is considered rudimentary.
Jumping
When faced with bodies of water, many ants will just jump across the surface. The long legs and flexible joints of ants allow them to spring outwards rapidly, letting them briefly skip along the water. Macho ants and acrobat ants are exceptional jumpers capable of leaping large puddles or streams.
Why Can’t Ants Swim?
Ants lack the necessary adaptations for true swimming seen in aquatic insects like water striders. There are several key reasons they perform poorly in water:
Heavy Exoskeletons
The waxy, rigid exterior of ants has a high density that causes them to sink rapidly. Their exoskeleton repels water rather than trapping air bubbles. Ants will descend immediately if they fall into deep water.
Non-paddle Limbs
Ant legs and mouthparts are made for walking, grasping, and digging – not paddling or rowing. Their slender, unwebbed legs generate little propulsive force in water. Only a few ant species can coordinate weak paddling motions.
Open Respiratory Systems
Ants breathe through tiny pores all over their bodies. This open respiratory system fills up with water when submerged, drowning the ant. Aquatic insects have closed respiratory tubes that prevent water from entering.
Do Any Ants Actually Swim?
While no ants are specialized, efficient swimmers like aquatic beetles or water bugs, a select few species have reasonable water mobility:
Weaver Ants
These tree-dwelling ants have water-repellent, waxy coats and long legs adapted for jumping between tree branches. If knocked into the water, they can use their legs to generate thrust and skim along the surface for several meters.
Polyrhachis Ants
These tropical ants are sometimes called sea ants or sailor ants. They live along coastlines and have hydrophobic hair that helps them float. They can paddle with their back legs to move short distances over calm water.
Army Ants
Army ant workers have unusually elongated bodies and legs. When foraging in the rainforest, these body proportions assist them in bridging small streams and flooded areas by paddling with an alternating gait.
So while no true swimming ants exist, weavers, Polyrhachis and army ants demonstrate a capacity for limited aquatic mobility through floating, paddling, and skimming behaviors.
Ants That Can Survive Floods
Several ant species have remarkable abilities to survive severe flooding of their nests:
Fire Ants
Both tropical fire ants and European flood ants can form floating rafts by linking their bodies together. The ants on the bottom cling to submerged vegetation while the ants on top trap air. Thousands of ants can assemble into a large life raft.
Honeypot Ants
Worker honeypot ants use their repellent wax coating to survive floods. When workers link together into chains, larvae in the middle are protected in air pockets, allowing whole colonies to float until waters recede.
Black Imported Fire Ants
Unlike other fire ant species, these ants do not form rafts. If flooded, they will submerge and walk along the bottom substrates back to the nest site. Workers even shuttle developing eggs and larvae while underwater.
So through cooperation and buoyancy adaptations, certain ant populations are capable of relocating entire colonies during flood conditions. This allows them to minimize drowning deaths.
Do Ants Drink Water?
Ants obtain water in several ways other than swimming:
Drinking Liquid Water
Ants sip or lap up liquid water sources like rain droplets, dew, nectar, or films of water using their tongue-like proboscis or mandibles. The amount consumed depends on humidity levels. Desert ants drink the most while ants in moist environments drink less.
Obtaining Water from Food
Ants get the water they need from the foods they eat. Sugary secretions from aphids or nectar from plants contain up to 70% water. Solid foods like captured insects or seeds also contain trace moisture.
Absorbing Water Vapor
Some ants are able to directly absorb water vapor from the air through their exoskeleton or from saturated wall surfaces inside the nest. This adaptation allows colonies to survive in extremely dry habitats.
So while ants cannot swim or soak up water externally like mammals, they have alternate methods to internally supply themselves with the water vital for survival.
Do Ant and Termite Nests Ever Flood?
Ant and termite nests are vulnerable to flooding, especially if located underground or in low-lying areas:
Monsoonal Flooding
In tropical zones with monsoons, heavy seasonal rains can inundate nests located in cracks or burrows, causing colonies to vacate. Army ants bivouacking in trees are displaced when storms swell forest streams.
Poor Drainage
Any nest built in clay-like soils with poor drainage is prone to flooding during storms or excessive irrigation. Urban areas with a lot of paved surface collect large amounts of rainwater runoff that can flood nearby ant habitats.
Obstructed Nest Entrances
Blocked nest entrances and tunnels due to debris or settlings can turn a nest into a bathtub. Termite carton nests in trees are especially susceptible to this if the outlet is clogged with leaves or dirt.
However, most colonies are able to relocate brood and food stores above the waterline before flooding becomes severe. Opportunistic species may even move into flooded areas and utilize drowned insects as food sources.
| Ant Species | Flood Survival Adaptation |
|---|---|
| Fire ants | Form floating rafts by linking bodies together |
| Honeypot ants | Waxy coating allows individuals to float |
| Army ants | Relocate colonies to trees and above-ground vegetation |
Do Ants Swim as a Form of Locomotion?
Ants do not swim in order to travel or forage like aquatic insects. A few reasons ants avoid swimming include:
– Their dense bodies cause them to sink in water. Only certain species can float or paddle.
– They lack adaptations like paddle-shaped limbs, water-repellent hairs, or plastron structures.
– Walking is more energy efficient than swimming for short-range travel.
– They avoid flooded areas and shorelines due to risk of drowning.
– Underwater gases, moisture, and salinity can flood their respiratory system.
So while ants are not completely helpless in water, they lack the specializations required for swimming to be a viable form of locomotion. It is strictly an emergency response to avoid drowning.
Do Ants Ever Enter Bodies of Water?
Ants actively avoid entering pools, puddles, ponds or other bodies of water due to the drowning risks. Situations where ants may fall into water include:
– Foraging near pond edges and accidentally slipping in.
– Rivers or tides overtaking shoreline nesting sites.
– Raindrops knocking ants off slippery surfaces into standing water.
– Severe tropical storms that flood entire landscapes.
– Aggressive soldiers chasing prey or invaders toward water sources.
– Battles with termites or other insects near or over water.
– Human interventions like irrigation flooding nests.
So while ants do not deliberately enter water, accidents near shorelines or during rains can cause them to fall in. Their poor swimming ability makes water extremely hazardous.
How Do Ants Avoid Drowning in Wet Environments?
Ants use several strategies to stay dry in wet or frequently flooded environments:
– Building up mounds or nesting in trees/branches away from the ground level.
– Sealing off nest entrances watertight with mud or resins.
– Digging drainage channels around underground nests.
– Evacuating colonies seasonally during rainy periods.
– Forming floating rafts out of workers linked together.
– Developing hydrophobic cuticles and hairs that repel water.
– Utilizing underwater respirations chambers to breathe underwater.
– Traveling in arboreal highways through forest canopies.
– Coordinating rescue of incapacitated nestmates using pheromone trails.
So between architectural adaptations, emergency procedures, and waterproofing their bodies, ants demonstrate remarkable resilience against potential drowning while nesting in wet habitats.
Conclusion
In summary, the vast majority of ants cannot truly swim and rely on mobility adaptations like jumping, floating, or skimming across the water surface. Their physiology and ecology are not suited for swimming as a mode of transportation. Only a handful demonstrates limited amphibious ability. Ants actively avoid bodies of water due to the substantial risks of drowning. Their behavioral strategies, nest architecture, and body chemistry help them inhabit wet environments while minimizing contact with potential floodwaters.