National Geographic News, Reporting Your World Daily

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Photo: Ants on Stilts Help Show Bugs Have "Pedometers"


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Scientists attached stilts to some ants' legs as part of an experiment to determine how the insects know how far to run when returning to their nests. Other ants had their legs shortened.

With their modified, longer strides, the stilt-walking ants overshot their nest, while the stunted ants stopped too soon. The results suggest ants have a kind of inborn pedometer, or step counter.

Photograph © Science