A study conducted on Kangaroo Island in Australia caused a major stir in the scientific world. Australian scientists observed that an entire ant colony used the strategy of playing dead in order to escape predators.
 

The Ants’ Impressive Performance of Playing Dead

A research team from the University of South Australia, conducting studies on Kangaroo Island, discovered an ant colony belonging to the species Polyrhachis femorata. When they perceived a threat, these ants exhibited the behavior of playing dead in order to escape predators, similar to certain other animal species. However, there was a detail that had never been observed before. All members of the colony became motionless at the same time, and this behavior was displayed not merely individually, but across the entire colony (Higgs, 2023).

The ants performed this imitation so perfectly that they initially deceived all the researchers. When the researchers opened the container, they encountered a group of ants that appeared to be dead. After a short while, when one ant moved, it became clear that the entire colony had been playing dead (Murray, 2023).

Ants Playing Dead as a Group

Examples of Mimicry in the Animal Kingdom

Playing dead is a form of behavior observed not only in ants but also in various animal species for defensive or hunting purposes. For example, certain spider species, some frogs, opossums, and certain fish species also behave as if they are dead in order to deceive predators. However, as in the case of Polyrhachis femorata, the entire colony exhibiting such behavior is a highly rare observation, and it is being reported for the first time in the known literature (Petit, 2023).

An animal that does not move or appears dead does not attract the predator’s attention. Certain species, as if aware of this, escape becoming prey by employing the strategy of playing dead. The Polyrhachis femorata ant colony astonished scientists by implementing this deception collectively, with every individual participating.

 

The Perfect Defense Strategy in Ants Is Clear Evidence of Creation

The fact that the entire Polyrhachis femorata ant colony observed on Kangaroo Island protects itself from predators by playing dead demonstrates once again how perfectly and consciously the defense mechanisms in living beings are designed. This extraordinary behavior is too complex and coordinated to be explained by coincidence, blind natural processes, or random mutations. For here, not only a single individual but the entire colony acts simultaneously and with the same strategy, which indicates that these ants are in extraordinary communication and cooperation with one another. Moreover, it demonstrates that this behavior was programmed from the outset in a way that ensures the colony’s survival.

In the Qur’an, the order and wisdom in the living beings created by God are presented in many verses as examples for people to reflect upon. In one verse, it is stated:

“There is no creature crawling on the earth or flying creature, flying on its wings, who are not communities just like yourselves – We have not omitted anything from the Book – then they will be gathered to their Lord.” (Surat Al-An‘am, 38)

This verse informs that all living beings on earth live within an order and community, and that they all act under God’s control and knowledge. The collective playing dead of ants is also an awe-inspiring defense strategy inspired in them by God. No ant can independently learn such behavior or teach it to others; this behavior has been placed into their genetic program by God. In another verse it is stated:

“He to Whom the kingdom of the heavens and the earth belong...” (Surat Al-Furqan, 2)

The ants becoming motionless collectively at the moment of threat requires not merely individual but group consciousness and cooperation. This cannot be explained by unconscious and random processes as proposed by Darwinists. The Qur’an also states as follows:

“Everything in the heavens and the earth glorifies God. He is the Almighty, the All-Wise.” (Surat Al-Hadid, 1)

Every detail in living beings demonstrates God’s supreme power and infinite wisdom. This defensive behavior exhibited by ants as a colony is presented as evidence of the perfection in God’s creation and the refinement in His artistry. Each of them acts by God’s inspiration and continues its life in accordance with the destiny He has determined.

Such examples are an invitation for people to reflect upon the magnificence of God’s creation and the fact that everything occurs by His command. Every person should observe this marvelous order in nature and the wisdom in living beings, appreciate God’s greatness and artistry, and turn toward Him.

“... There is certainly a Sign in that for people who pay heed.” (Surat An-Nahl, 13)

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