Page 23 - The Miracle of Migration in Animals

HARUN YAHYA

and all trace of aroma evaporated from the sand by the burning heat.
This difficult desert terrain is home to the desert ants (Cataglyphis),
whose underground nest protects them from the lizards and birds
that feed on insects. In the morning hours, when these hunters are ac-
tive, the ants stay in their nests. But at noon, it grows so hot that
lizards and birds retreat into the shade. This one- to two-hour period
is the only time the Cataglyphis ants can safely come out to forage for
food. Suddenly hundreds of them emerge from a little hole in the
sand and busy themselves looking for insects that are affected by the

Sun.
Each one traces a zigzag as it runs. Every second or so it stops,
raises its head, makes a half turn on one leg and starts running again.
As soon as it finds food, it must return to the nest before the Sun af-
fects it.
On the return journey, this ant that has been tracing a zigzag
path while hunting, takes a course as straight as a ruler. It runs fast to
its nest’s entrance, which can lie up to 140 meters (150 yards) away. 1
This behavior is remarkable, for to be able to do so, the ant must have
somehow measured and memorized each stage of its outward jour-
ney. This means that each time it raises its head and turns, it is record-
ing its new position relative to the position of the Sun. This means
that with the information it has gathered during its journey of
roughly 15 minutes, it has established the exact distance and direc-
tion back to the nest.
Of course this method
of using the Sun to
determine direction
and calculate a re-
turn journey isn’t
something these tiny

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