道，日前，研究人员最新研究发现亚马逊河流域的树栖蚂蚁能够使用臀部有效地控制空中滑翔的方向。
亚马逊流域Cephalotes atratus蚂蚁可利用臀部和腿部控制滑翔方向，实现安全着陆
滑翔又被科学家称为“定向空中下降”，此前科学家曾观测蛇和松鼠存在着类似的机能，能够实现无翅膀滑翔飞行。但这种蚂蚁拥有奇特的“滑翔秘笈”，它不同于其它滑翔物种，并没有特殊的身体附属物来控制下降过程。然而这种奇特的蚂蚁却可使用后腿和臀部来控制空中下降路线。
美国加利福尼亚州大学伯克利分校研究员尤娜坦-穆克(Yonatan Munk)称，其它滑翔物种具有一些身体特征可解释其“潜在的空气动力学”，例如：松鼠的尾部和蛇摆动的躯体。但如果你看到这种蚂蚁，你不会相信它们具有空中滑翔能力，肯定会从空中直线坠落。
据悉，穆克用4年时间旅行亚马逊河流域，细致充分地研究这种树栖蚂蚁“Cephalotes atratus”。使用特殊设计的垂直风洞，他和同事们能够拍摄和分析该蚂蚁控制滑翔的精确性动作。
当这些蚂蚁从树上栖息地跳下时，将在空中利用后背“翻筋斗”，伸展腿部抬起自己的身体，之后降低自己的臀部或者后半段身体。在这种情况下，体形微小的蚂蚁能够充分实现空气动力学，在没有翅膀的情况下，有效地控制滑翔过程。
穆克说：“它们的滑翔过程非常类似于人类跳伞运动员，其原理机制是近似的。”（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推荐原文出处：
Proceedings of The Royal Society B:Biological Sciences doi: 10.1098/rspb.2010.0170
Aerial manoeuvrability in wingless gliding ants (Cephalotes atratus)
Stephen P. Yanoviak, Yonatan Munk, Mike Kaspari and Robert Dudley
In contrast to the patagial membranes of gliding vertebrates, the aerodynamic surfaces used by falling wingless ants to direct their aerial descent are unknown. We conducted ablation experiments to assess the relative contributions of the hindlegs, midlegs and gaster to gliding success in workers of the Neotropical arboreal ant Cephalotes atratus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Removal of hindlegs significantly reduced the success rate of directed aerial descent as well as the glide index for successful flights. Removal of the gaster alone did not significantly alter performance relative to controls. Equilibrium glide angles during successful targeting to vertical columns were statistically equivalent between control ants and ants with either the gaster or the hindlegs removed. High-speed video recordings suggested possible use of bilaterally asymmetric motions of the hindlegs to effect body rotations about the vertical axis during targeting manoeuvre. Overall, the control of gliding flight was remarkably robust to dramatic anatomical perturbations, suggesting effective control mechanisms in the face of adverse initial conditions (e.g. falling upside down), variable targeting decisions and turbulent wind gusts during flight.
