Every week, we share an interesting fact from the natural world on our social media. In August, we had the largest ant colony on the planet; butterflies can taste with their feet; a 60kg banana and bees perception of time.
The Largest Ant Colony was 3731 Miles Wide
An enormous supercolony of Argentine ants was found in Southern Europe in 2000. The colony stretched along the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts. It had millions of nests and billions of workers.
This intercontinental megacolony represents the most populous recorded animal society on earth, other than humans.
The Largest Banana Weighs More Than 60 Kilograms
The Musa ingens is the largest member of the Musaceae (banana) family. Growing in the tropical forests of New Guinea, its leaves can grow up to five meters long.
How big was the largest banana fruit you ever had?
Butterflies can Taste with Their Feet
Butterflies don’t have tongues, they have a proboscis, which is like an extension of its mouth into a long tube. They do have some taste buds on their proboscis and some on their antennae as well, but most of the taste buds are located on their feet.
Bees Have a Perception of Time
It has long been known that bees have a circadian rhythm that allows them to estimate the time of the day. They can schedule their visits to food sources at certain times of the day.
This also helps them to determine the correct direction of their home or a feeder.
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