Ant thief steals diamond

[PinkDiamond]

I saw an article at JCK about an ant thief, and there was a video on youtube so I just had to show it to you even though I didn't care for the jewelry in the article, but that's just me so I'll give you the link to the story too since you may like the pieces they show.

This is hilarious though, and look how fast this little booger absconds with the diamond.




The article
https://www.jckonline.com/editorial-art ... -334329457

[rocks2dust]

Wow. What do you suppose it was going to do with it? Another jewel for the ant queen?

[Nili]

That is so wired it knows it's not food.. so what do they need it for ?

[PinkDiamond]

Good to see you pop in Nili, but I have no idea why the ant would steal the diamond, unless it's a female that just wants to bling up the anthill.

[Artfldgr]

maybe the diamond had hamburger grease on it... oils...

thats the only guess i could think of that made any sense...
[and i just confirmed it]

https://www.livescience.com/63383-ant-s ... amond.html

Food for thought

In general, when foraging ants pick something up, it's usually a piece of food, McCreery said. Ants may also carry materials to incorporate into their homes, but it's not very likely that this ant had an engineering purpose in mind for the diamond. The more probable explanation is that there was a substance coating the gem, which made the ant think it was something edible, McCreery said.

It was also surprising to see that the ant was able to grasp something as slick as a diamond, though the gem's shape may have made it easier for the ant to grip it between its jaws, she added.

The video ends on a suspenseful note: It cuts abruptly while the ant is still marching resolutely along. Viewers are then left wondering if the person behind the camera decided that enough was enough and retrieved their property from the pint-size crook, or if they decided to let the ant escape with its ill-gotten treasure and live to steal another day.

[PinkDiamond]

LOL! Thanks for the update, Art.