Ants Are Now Getting Spa Treatments From Other Ants

Turns out, the animal kingdom's version of a car wash isn't just for fish. An entomologist has observed something remarkably similar happening in the ant world, and it's both bizarre and surprisingly civilized.

Mark Moffet, from the National Museum of Natural History, was doing what entomologists do — watching harvester ants (Pogonomyrmex barbatus) collect seeds in Arizona's Chiricahua Mountains. He noticed some of these busy harvesters were... well, just standing there. Motionless. Which, for an ant, is usually a red flag.

Upon closer inspection, he saw the reason: smaller cone ants (Dorymyrmex spp.) were crawling all over them. Moffet initially assumed it was a tiny, six-legged brawl. Because, ants. But then he saw the cone ants meticulously licking and nibbling the larger harvester ants. No fighting. Just... cleaning. He even saw a cone ant poke its head right into a harvester ant's open jaws, a move that could, presumably, end very badly for the cone ant.

Moffet watched at least 90 harvester ants getting this meticulous once-over. He believes the cone ants were essentially providing a cleaning service, much like the fish and shrimp at coral reef "cleaning stations" where bigger fish line up for a scrub. He even witnessed harvester ants queueing up at cone ant nests, patiently waiting for their turn.

The Million-Dollar (Ant) Question

So, what's in it for the ants? Because in nature, there's usually a quid pro quo. Moffet consulted with other scientists, and they've got a couple of theories.

One idea is that the ants might be swapping microbes, potentially boosting each other's health. Another thought is that they could be exchanging pheromones, those chemical signals ants use for everything from finding food to declaring war. Whatever the reason, it seems even ants appreciate a good scrub down. And a good accountant, probably.