Gliding ant

At least five genera in the subfamilies Myrmicinae, Pseudomyrmecinae, and Formicinae (mostly Camponotus) display gliding of various degrees, in an example of parallel evolution.

Specifically, they orient to light-colored columnar objects that sharply contrast the darker background of foliage in the forest.

Tropical trees often have light-coloured bark and frequently are covered with white lichens, thus they provide the most conspicuous targets.

[2] The ant will first randomly descend 3 or 4 metres (10 or 13 ft) in free fall, then visually lock on to the tree trunk it wishes to land on.

[2] The period of free fall is thought to be used by the ants to slow down to a minimum viable glide velocity, to allow them to successfully direct their descent towards the tree.