Ask anything.
Why do ants walk in a line?
Ants walk in a line because they follow a smelly trail left by their friends.
When an ant finds food, it leaves a special smell on the ground on its way back to the nest. This smell is called a pheromone. Other ants sniff this smell with their antennae and go the same way. That is how they all follow the same line and make a row.
The more a food path is used, the stronger the smell gets. The shortest and easiest path becomes the one used by the most ants. The smell on long, hard paths fades away over time. This is how ants find the best path without talking at all.
Ants do not talk to each other with their eyes. They use smell and touch instead. That is why they can walk without getting lost, even in the dark. Walking in a line lets them work together like a strong team.
Quick facts
- As ants walk, they leave a smelly trail on the ground called a pheromone.
- Other ants smell this trail with their antennae and follow the same path.
- A path that is used a lot gets a stronger smell, and a path used less has its smell fade away.
- This is how ants find the shortest path all by themselves.
- Ants rely on smell and touch more than sight.
- Ants live together with thousands of friends in one nest.
Check what you remember
3 questions — all of them come from the quick facts above. There is no score and no wrong turn.
1. What do ants use to follow each other?
2. Which body part do ants use to sense smell?
3. What happens to the smell on a path that is not used much?
Where this comes from
ReKid™ is not just a search
- The answer to the question is checked for accuracy before it is shown
- An age-appropriate explanation of the topic, written to be read
- A set of short facts about the topic
- A set of short facts on subjects connected to the topic
- A short quiz built from the topic, the facts and the connected facts
- Up to five safe recommended links about the topic
- PDF export, and every topic searched is kept
- Everything from earlier keys carries over to a new key, complete
- No advertising
- No tracking
- A knowledge support set that needs no personal account