For the first time, scientists have discovered that two nocturnal bull ant species—Myrmecia pyriformis & Myrmecia midas—use polarized moonlight to navigate at night.
Key Findings:
🔹 Most nocturnal foragers track the moon’s position, but this method is unreliable due to waxing, waning, and cloud cover.
🔹 Bull ants detect & use polarized moonlight, even when moonlight intensity drops by 80% during a crescent moon!
🔹 This is only the second recorded instance of an animal using polarized moonlight—the first was the dung beetle.
🔹 The ants’ ability to read the unique polarization patterns in moonlight helps them find their way, even when it’s a million times dimmer than sunlight.
How Does It Work?
- Both sunlight & moonlight create polarization patterns in the sky.
- Ants use these patterns like a built-in compass, rather than just following the moon’s position.
- M. midas ants were observed returning overnight, while M. pyriformis ants became more active on full-moon nights.
(Source: The Hindu)
