Sometimes I like to make a big deal about the relentless (complementary) sisterhood of ant colonies. But that doesn’t mean I don’t also find male ants interesting. One just has far fewer opportunities to observe! They tend to be powerfully built around the wings, with larger eyes— but these are perched on a small head with dainty mandibles. How exactly they know when to fly and where to go is still a bit of a mystery. People will say time of year or pheromones but these are educated guesses.

Sometimes I like to make a big deal about the relentless (complementary) sisterhood of ant colonies. But that doesn’t mean I don’t also find male ants interesting. One just has far fewer opportunities to observe! They tend to be powerfully built around the wings, with larger eyes— but these are perched on a small head with dainty mandibles. How exactly they know when to fly and where to go is still a bit of a mystery. People will say time of year or pheromones but these are educated guesses.

@futurebird funny thought: female, male and gender overall, probably have little meaning or importance for ant organisation... they would more likely relate to roles in the anthill or age strata as markers for individuals.

The concept of sisterhood might be hard to grasp for them

I wonder what if anything they make of their sturdy purposeful sisters— and what worker ants make of these creatures destined to fly and die at some hidden signal.

@futurebird I was putting the coat and leash on my dog last night, and as is typical, I had to move him a bit to center him in the doorway so I didn't bang my hands on the doorframe as I was putting on his coat. Which, he's trained to come to the door, stand in the same place, dip his head for the coat, etc. he does all this, every time, how come he won't center himself in the doorway?

@futurebird Because, I realized, he may have an idea of self but not really of 'doorway' and certainly none of his relationship to it.

@futurebird Do ants even have an idea of 'self'? And if they do, do you think they have a theory of mind for other ants? Other insects? People?

@whknott

Ants will stay out of the line of sight and away from the antennae of insects they hunt.

Could that just be some kind of template, not a theory of mind. Maybe. Possibly even probably. But it could also be some kind of sketch of such a thing. I don't think we have a CLUE.

@futurebird Because, I realized, he may have an idea of self but not really of 'doorway' and certainly none of his relationship to it.

@whknott

More to the point, I think anyone who thinks this question is obvious, or who cites examples of more obviously reflex behaviors as evidence that everything a tiny insect with a tiny brain does as being all reaction and no complexity is pushing as much of an agenda as someone who assumes that any creature that "passes the mirror test" must be self-aware. We don't know what's going on. It might not even map to anything we know about.

I wonder what if anything they make of their sturdy purposeful sisters— and what worker ants make of these creatures destined to fly and die at some hidden signal.