Check this out. It’s an Odontomachus trap-jaw ant that swims:
Several other ants are known to have such aquatic ability: Polyrhachis sokolova, the Australian intertidal ant, Camponotus schmitzi, the Borneo pitcher-diving ant, and several Neotropical ponerines that live in the flood-prone Amazon. The video above is the first documentation I know of from the Philippines.
Its discoverer, Perry Buenavente, would love to tell us about the swimming Odontomachus at the upcoming IUSSI meeting in Cairns. However, the conference is insanely expensive, and most students can’t afford to register without assistance. So Perry is hoping to crowd-fund his participation on Indiegogo. If you’d like to help him out, here’s the link:
http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/conference-travel-assistance
