As long as they don’t leap on me.
Ants With Leaping Ability
By snapping their jaws onto the ground, trap-jaw ants can flip backward and escape threats. Now researchers report that these ants can also jump forward.
A forward leap is probably an even more effective way to dodge threats, said Magdalena Sorger, an evolutionary biologist at North Carolina State University and the study’s author. She reported her findings in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment.
Although jumping is common in animals like kangaroos, frogs, grasshoppers and humans, it is rarely seen in ants. Only three of 326 ant genera are known to jump. When ants jump backward, they have little control and often land on their backs, Dr. Sorger said. The forward jump, however, allows the ants to aim for a landing site.
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