Docking of fire ant rafts using pseudopods

Fire ants survive floods by linking their bodies together to build waterproof rafts. This state is precarious, and for the raft to survive, it must eventually dock onto shore for the ants to disembark. In this experimental study, we observe how ant rafts identify potentially docking sites and extend multiple "planks" to simultaneously anchor the raft and release ants ashore. These planks are analogous to pseudopodia, the temporary projections of amoeba. Because the fire ants have poor vision, the direction of each of these planks meanders randomly until it encounters a nearby target. The findings of this study will provide insights into how macroscopic active matter can utilize body deformation and flow as an exploration strategy.