#ant joy

[futurebird]

Moss enrichment for pet carpenter ants

Carpenter ants are like puppies. I give them moss because they like to cut it up into little pieces for no reason. I can't explain why they always shred the moss and the more I watch them I think it's just for the sheer joy of being a creature with mandibles and the joy of the BITE.

The moss is real, but stained with green insect-safe dye. In a few days there will be nothing but green flecks in the soil. I think they enjoy this "activity" everyone is involved!

[Video Description: Large black carpenter ants of varied size, some with very big heads and mandibles, bite, chew and drag around bits of bright green sphagnum moss, we see the ants from various angles close up and with a wider view of their tank which has a sandy floor and bits of rock and bark for them to hide under.]

[futurebird]

If joy is knowing your place in the world, what creature could be more joyful than a leafcutter ant carrying a leaf back to her nest?

Imagine you have these long legs, These sensitive claws, you sense the growing things around you and know which ones are the best to cut, You have these powerful jaws, and you can tell you were made to do something, and then... you find yourself doing *exactly* that thing!

Nothing could be more perfect!