Anticipating future events is often considered a hallmark of higher cognition, seen in mammals, birds, and even in some insects. Ants have long demonstrated intelligent group behaviors, like farming, architecture, even social distancing, but whether they can engage in preplanning wasn’t known.
That changed when researchers spotted something unusual near their lab. Longhorn crazy ants (Paratrechina longicornis) were carrying food back to their nest, but a few were also picking up and removing gravel from the path ahead.
“When we first saw ants clearing small obstacles ahead of the moving load we were in awe,” said study co-author Ofer Feinerman in the news release. “It appeared as if these tiny creatures understand the difficulties that lie ahead and try to help their friends in advance.”
This stood out because most known trail-clearing happens over days and it wasn’t clear what triggered it.
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Crazy ants are known for their erratic movement and constant scent-marking. As they walk, they touch their abdomens to the ground every few steps, leaving pheromones that guide others.
In this case, those same trails turned out to be the cue for clearing behavior. Ants didn’t need to see the food or be part of the transport team to start moving beads — just one scent mark near an obstacle triggered the behavior and could put them into “clearing mode.” From there, they continued without further cues. As co-author Danielle Mersch explained, this behavior isn’t driven by individual understanding but emerges from simple interactions — showing how complex outcomes can arise from collective action.
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