News in Brief Animals

Ant antennae provide chemical ID

Meat ants, Iridomyrmex purpureus

Meat ants, Iridomyrmex purpureus, use their antennae to send and receive chemical signals.  

Steve Shattuck/CSIRO (CC BY 3.0)

By Sarah Schwartz

- More than 2 years ago

Ant antennae don’t just receive chemical signals — they send signals, too.

Colonies of ants communicate through chemical cues produced all over their bodies.