Ants Float Together To Survive Flood Conditions

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

Good morning. I'm Renee Montagne. Historic flooding in South Carolina is sending people and other creatures searching for dry land, but fire ants are doing it their own way. A video online shows the ants forming a life raft out of their own bodies. National Geographic says the ants do this to protect themselves and their eggs when the water rises. Their hairs even form a layer of air to keep the ants on the bottom of the living raft from drowning. The ants can remain like this for days. It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.