Page 31 - Wonderful Creatures: Children! Have You Ever Thought ?

(158oF). The ant leaves its nest to find food in the heat of
the day. Frequently halting and turning around itself, it fol-

lows a devious route within an area that may be
200meters (655 feet) away from the nest. You may see this

route on the map. But do not think that the ant will get lost
because of these zigzags. Once it finds a source of food, the ant fol-

lows a straight course and returns to the nest. With respect to
their sizes, this journey by the ant may be compared to a man’s

returning to his starting point taking a straight course after wande-
ring 35-40 kilometers (22-25 miles) away from that point in the

desert. How is it that an ant successfully performs a task that is vir-
tually impossible for a human?

It cannot be that the ant finds its direction by looking at objects.

Signs and road-marks such as trees, rocks, rivers or lakes which
help one find the way are very rare in the desert. There is only

sand all around. Even if there were such signs, it would not make
any difference since it is not possible for an ant to keep these signs

in mind, to memorize where they are and to use them while finding

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