Ant "scouts" steer the pack towards home

A new study has revealed the division of labour that ants use to carry big chunks of food back to their nests.

The researchers analysed video footage of a species known as "longhorn crazy ants" as they transported food items, including Cheerios.

It appears that most ants simply do the lifting, without much sense of direction, while a small number of well-informed "scouts" intervene and steer for short periods.

In this video, one such "scout" can be seen joining in and steering the group towards the nest - which is off to the left.

The study is published in the journal Nature Communications.

Footage courtesy of Ehud Fonio and Ofer Feinerman.