Page 78 - The Miracle in the Ant

back of the ant they live on, or the fatty secretions on the bodies of their
hosts. Sometimes these ticks live on the tip of the rear leg of the ant and,
at times, they allow their whole bodies to be used as part of the ant’s
foot by proxy.
As explained before, army ants form chains by hanging on to each
other by their legs when they form temporary nests out of these chains.
In the laboratory analyses made, it has been observed that in the ants
that hold on to another worker with the tick on their legs, the rear legs
of the tick took the form of the ant’s claws and performed the same
function. These ticks, with their clutching mechanisms in the form of
teeth on their backs, have been equipped with appropriate back forma-
tions so that they may adapt to the body of the ant. 47
It is impossible that these two creatures who are complementary to
each other, have found each other among thousands of species living in
nature only by a lucky chance. The probability of these two species –
which depend on each other for survival – having met one day, having
seen that their bodies were suitable for co-existence and having decid-
ed on symbiosis is zero. Therefore, this perfect harmony is likewise just
another one of the details showing perfect creation by Allah. Yet these
small details are too valuable to pass by. These examples, of which we
may witness thousands or millions every day, have been created so that
man may see the infinite power, the knowledge and the fine art of Allah.

Smart Fly Larva

The bodies of the ants form a very suitable location for parasitic be-
ings. Therefore many species of parasites choose as their homes the
bodies of ants. What is worth mentioning is Strongygaster globula, which
is a type of fly.
The larva of this fly ("Endo parasite" or Interior parasite) lives in the
rear section of the body of the queen that forms the ant colony. The be-
haviour of the queen in this situation is not affected noticeably apart
from its stopping laying eggs. When the larva of the parasite leaves the
body of the host, it goes into the pupa phase and is treated by the ants
as if it is one of their own pupa. Yet, during the flying phase, this friend-
ly attitude is abandoned and the fly is forced to leave the nest and the
queen ant dies after the parasites have left the nest. 48

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78 THE MIRACLE IN THE ANT