Secret Lives of Ants

Foreword

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix F O R E W O R D I first met Jae Choe in 1996 when he interviewed me for a science magazine during my first visit to South Korea. I was immediately impressed by his warmth, his passion for the natural world, and his conviction that it is important to share scientific findings with the general public—a conviction that I share. When the interview was over he showed me an issue of National Geographic that, coincidentally, featured articles by each of us. We had a wonderful discussion about our work and our shared love for the natural world. Each time I’ve returned to Korea to lecture and speak with young people, Jae has acted as my liaison and interpreter. Of course, I cannot understand what he is saying when he translates, yet the reactions of people listening prove that he is able to convey not just my words but also—almost more importantly—the spirit of my message to audiences all over the country. My own experience with ants is limited and very unscientific . There were wood ants that piled up small twigs and pine needles to form big, mound-shaped nests in the woods where I and my friends played when we were children. Their bite was painful and we used to avoid them. Then I decided that a friendly approach was necessary and trustingly held my finger toward one of them—whereupon she promptly clamped her jaws into my flesh! In Gombe National Park, the site of my ongoing research, army, or driver, ants are commonly preyed upon by chimpanzees . The chimpanzees choose long, straight sticks and, by carefully peeling the bark and any projecting twigs, fashion smooth tools. These are pushed into an underground nest and withdrawn along with a mass of insects that have bitten on in defense of their nest. The chimpanzee pulls the . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . f o r e w o r d x stick through his free hand, rushes the ants into his mouth, and chews as fast as possible. He can endure this painful feast for only a few minutes before rushing off to pluck the biting ants from his body. I quickly learned that it is important to try to avoid the trails of army ants encountered in the forest. It seems to me that they have an unpleasant sense of humor since, if you do inadvertently walk through a trail, the ants are quick to climb your leg—but you are not aware until the leader reaches about knee level or higher, at which point the stream of ants that have climbed, as though in response to some signal, all bite at the same time! Weaver ants taste hot and lemon-like and are another tasty chimpanzee snack. They make nests by sticking living leaves together while still attached to bush or tree. The chimpanzee picks the whole nest and, having crushed many of the ants by pulling it several times through hand or foot, then carefully opens the leaves and picks off the ants. Chimpanzees eat carpenter ants by poking short, thin sticks into their nests in dead wood and eating them from trunk or branch when they swarm out. This is a new behavior for the chimpanzees of our main study group, learned from a female who had acquired the skill in her natal community. It is wonderful to watch the “clicker” ants that set out, in small raiding parties, to capture termites. The successful raiders then return to their nest, each with an unfortunate victim in her jaws. Infant chimpanzees love to poke sticks into trails of ants and watch with absorbed fascination as they scurry around seeking the source of the disturbance. My son, as a small child, did exactly the same. It is his passion for the natural world that Jae brings to the study of ant biology. As he admits in Secret Lives of Ants, ants are not beautiful—by common human standards, at any rate. Chimpanzees , especially infants with their big luminous eyes, can touch the heart and serve as a flagship species in a campaign to save a rainforest, but it is extremely unlikely that zoomed-in close-ups of bristled ant faces, antennae splayed, could have the same effect. Sadly, most people are not even interested in ants and have no idea of their fascinating social structures and behavior. Yet ants are extraordinarily adaptable and successful and can be found in [18.191.171.235] Project MUSE (2024-04...