These incredible fire ant rafts are popping up all over South Carolina, at the surface of raging flows of flood water. The ants join together to create animal islands, allowing them to survive such massive flooding for days to weeks if they manage to eventually find land.
Since they act as one large entity instead of hundreds of small ones, the ants do not drown and the raft acts as a more water-repellent object. A study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences states that in as little as one hundred seconds, thousands of fire ants can join together to save themselves.
While the fire ant rafts are relatively strong, anything that breaks up the surface water like soap will cause them to drown. While this may sound strictly relavant in the world of science or animals, this could be a design lesson for waterproof weaving in clothing or furniture as well.
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