Entomologists from the University of California, Riverside, found that Argentine ants could detect dead nestmates before decomposition could have taken hold. (scientificamerican.com)
One possibility, Rudolph says, is that fighting changes the odors ants use to distinguish nestmates from potential invaders. (sciencedaily.com)
Ants: «I'm Not Dead Yet» Ants are notoriously efficient undertakers, carrying off dead nestmates before the corpses can infect the colony with their pathogens. (scientificamerican.com)