Designers of the micro world

Patterns and designs are very much an integral part of things in nature. Even the most ornate of designs or patterns have a sense of reason for their existence. Be it a perfectly aligned ‘V’ pattern of the high flying birds or the elaborate embellishments of its nest by the Bowerbird or the gory dress up of an assassin bug with the husks of dead ants, each and every one of them has a powerful instinctive need and a purpose....

July 22, 2016 · 4 min · Santhosh Krishnamoorthy

Ant mimic spider - A fight for the right to mate

Jumping spiders are very notorious, stealthy hunters and they have evolved some very effective mechanisms to protect themselves from predation. One such, is to mimic ants. Ant mimicry, or myrmecomorphy, is a phenomenon in which arthropods develop morphological resemblance to ants, either as a means of safeguarding themselves from predators or as an easier way of feeding on the ants. Different kinds of ants, hence, different kinds of mimicry among jumping spiders....

October 19, 2015 · 4 min · Santhosh Krishnamoorthy

Ants - at the helm of things

One of the most numerous and probably one of the busiest creatures on the planet, Ants, seem to be at the helm of a lot of things transpiring not just in the world of insects, but in the whole ecosystem at large. Ants build their long tunneled homes, enabling very efficient movement of air through the soil, thus aerating them. The also act as very efficient cleansing agents, by cleaning up the surroundings of dead and decaying matter....

September 29, 2013 · 4 min · Santhosh Krishnamoorthy