August 16, 2012
These Rainbow-colored Transparent Ants Are What They Eat
These ants’ transparent abdomens change to the color of their food after eating. Photo by Mohamed Babu/Solent News/Rex F/AP Images
Not long ago, Dr. Mohamed Babu, of Mysore, South India, noticed something strange about the ants scurrying around on the floor of his kitchen: After drinking some spilled milk, their abdomens turned white. Realizing the insects’ bodies were transparent, he got an idea for a stunning set of photographs, he told the Daily Mail.
Mixing different varieties of food coloring along with sugar, water and a waxy base, he set out small droplets of liquid on a white plastic sheet outside in his garden and let the ants do the rest. “As the ant’s abdomen is semi-transparent, the ants gain the colors as they sip the liquid,” he said.
Photo by Mohamed Babu/Solent News/Rex F/AP Images
Striving to get the best possible photos, Babu ran into an unexpected problem: too many ants. “I really toiled to get a photo,” he said. “The crowd always used to become unmanageable within a few minutes and while I managed my camera with my right hand, my left hand was busy removing the extra ants.” After a number of repeated attempts, he finally got the photos he was looking for.
Photo by Mohamed Babu/Solent News/Rex F/AP Images
The impromptu experiment also allowed Babu to learn about the ants’ color preferences. “Curiously, the ants preferred light colors—yellow and green,” he said. “The darker green and blue drops had no takers, until there was no space around the preferred yellow and green drops.” Some of the ants even wandered between the colors, creating unique mixtures of different hues inside their own stomachs.
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Would it make sense that they like yellow and green because that is more likely to be the colours of plant matter that would usually have high sugar content in their natural environment?
I would be interested to know how they distinguish colours.
Wasn’t this reported over a year ago?
Makes you wonder about their sight and sense of taste, since it is noticeable only some of them chose to take blue colored food.
leave the ants alone
As interesting it is to see how the bodies of the ants change color based on what they ate, for me it is frightening when I realize this is an observable confirmation of the statement: You are what you eat. What if our bodies turned color when we ate pesticides, hormones, and antibiotics hidden in our fruits, vegetables, and protein?
Food for thought?
Perhaps Pamela will hire an Attorney for the oppressed ants.
It’s a sad state of affairs when a Person is looked down upon for feeding Ants.
I say, Thank You Mohamed Babu for showing me a species I knew nothing about and for finding Beauty where there was only pests,
Please keep reaching and testing the boundaries of both Nature and Photography. Your quest is worthy and interesting.
The blue ants are the innovators.
Interesting! I hope that everyone’s weekend is great and safe!
i think it is neet how the ants eat or drink the food colering to change the color of their body.
I am wondering if anyone has the contact info for Dr. Mohamed Babu. I work for a scientific supply company and we are interested in using one of his images for our catalog cover. Any help would be appreciated. Please contact me at my email address. Thank you–Jess