The Beachcomber Ant, Polyrhachis sokolova was first decribed by Auguste Forel in 1902 and is a species of mud-nesting ant which lives in mangroves and has evolved the capability of surviving tidal inundations.
Studies of P. sokolova have revealed that nest sites are inundated with water during high tide for periods last up to 3 hours. The ants cannot breath underwater and instead survive in pockets of air trapped within the nest.
A large amount of effort is expended by the colony on repairing water damage after each high tide.
The ants are able to move across large stretches of water by either running on the surface tension skin or swimming with their legs below the surface.
Tags: Polyrhachis | sokolova
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