How fire ants survive floods

HOUSTON — People in and around the areas hit by floodwaters from Hurricane Harvey in Houston have begun to see colonies of floating fire ant rafts.

Fire ants are an invasive species from South America, and have spread across the southern U.S, according to Business Insider.

To escape the rising water, fire ants quickly link together to form a raft. They lock their legs and bodies together tightly enough to trap air in the raft.

The ants at the bottom are linked so closely together than no water can get through.

The queen and the larvae are kept at the center of the structure.

The raft changes shape as it floats, with ants moving across the top and joining the stationary layer on the bottom, according to a fire ant raft study.

Fire ants can live in these structures for weeks or longer as they search for dryland.