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.