THURSDAY, Jan. 12, 2006 (HealthDay News) -- Up till now, only humans have appeared capable of what experts call "formal teaching," or teaching by example.
But a new study suggests class may be in session in the ant world, too.
Reporting in the Jan. 12 issue of Nature, researchers at Bristol University in England found that a certain species of ant -- Temnothorax -- engages in a technique known as "tandem running," in which one ant leads another ant from the nest to a food source. Signals between the two ants control both the course and speed of their run.
When Temnothorax ants begin a tandem run, the leader finds a pupil who is willing to follow. Tandem runs are rather slow because the pupil frequently stops to identify landmarks it can use in order to learn the route. When a pupil has identified a suitable landmark, it taps on the hind legs and abdomen of the teacher to indicate that that tandem run can resume.
According to the research team, the accepted definition of "teaching" in animal behavior involves one individual modifying its behavior in the presence of a naive observer -- at some initial cost to the teacher -- to set an example so that the other individual can learn more quickly.
He and colleague Tom Richardson believe the tandem running used by Temnothorax ants meets all the criteria for teaching.
"We also believe that true teaching always involves feedback in both directions between the teacher and pupil," study co-author Professor Nigel Franks said in a prepared statement. "In other words, the teacher provides information or guidance for the pupil at a rate suited to the pupil's abilities, and the pupil signals to the teacher when parts of the 'lesson' have been assimilated and that the lesson may continue."
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