1) The document describes the navigational skills and abilities of desert ants and locusts to survive in harsh environments. 2) Desert ants use cues from the polarized light of the sun, the earth's magnetic fields, and counting steps to navigate long distances to forage and return home. 3) Locust swarms can travel thousands of miles riding wind currents, using their eyes, antennae, the sun, moon, stars and magnetic fields for navigation.

1. Strange events Chapter20 pictures & poems
Cues & Skills
Nymphs Desert Locusts Adult
NASA – Wc – Public domain Arpingstone – Wc – Public domain
Swarm – feeding Swarm over Mauritania
C.Tucker-NASA–Wc–Public domain FAO – NASA.Gov - Publicdomain

2. Strange events Locusts poem
We are great warriors - as you know
A veritable destruction machine
We boast of a huge army - as you are aware
larger than anyone has ever seen
When our swarms of millions and millions
march down wind with blowing streams
woe befalls on all those who come in the way
forests farms gardens or whatever else they be
none dare stop us when we march on our chosen way
for we drown them in flood of tears, so dangerous are we
The biggest, cruelest or smartest great army
Great Khan’s or Alexander’s or else’s in History
What are they before our might and main
Such great conquerors are we,- you see
Crossing deserts and seas from Africa or Arabia
We may march West or East to Europe or India
Flying up to 5000 miles even ,if needs be
Wherever winds take us or rains be

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For riding the winds we do fly at times
From West Africa even to West indies
Tell me any one amongst you O! Man
Has shown such dare devilry ?
How we do it ,is our secret,
we won’t tell you easily
However this much we can hint ,if you like
That we use our eyes and antenne
In day we use the Sun , polarized light pattern
spectral gradient & Earths magnetic field
At night the Moon , moonlight’s polarized pattern
the magnetic field and Stars in our Milky way
Our map sense, compass sense and bio clock
all work together in such a way
We know we are going in which direction
where we are and have come how far so far
moving pretty fast @ 15 – 20 Km /hr
covering generally 5 – 130 Km /day
We also know how to use winds and thermals
When to go up or come down to rest or eat

4. Strangeevents
We can beat hollow Kumbhkaran or Bheem
For our swarm can eat tons & tons it seems
Causing great devastation in all farms and fields
whichever we visit in countries after countries
So don’t take us lightly although we are small & light
save yourself if you can , from our combined might
One last word before we let you go
Listen carefully for it may save your life or ego
Even our larvae form a hopper band
And cause great harm to thee
we change our colour , size and behavier
as solitare or gregariousin large number together
we leave it as a mystery for you to solve
how in a swarm we act and remain together ?.
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5. Strange events Chapter 20 record holders
Cues & Skills
Desert Ant Saharan Silver Ants
Markus Knaden .MPI- Earth.com Bjorn Christian Torrissen –Wc – cc
SilverAnts Head – hairs-SEM view
Norman nanshi & Nanfang yu –Columbia engineering
Washington.edu-News

6. Strange events poems
Desert Ants - Cues and skills
Many insects are known for
their several surprising skills
which enable them to take cues
from here & there with their sense
Desert Ants are also gifted
with many amazing abilities
which enable them to survive
in such a harsh environment
For foraging their workers have to go often
far far from their nesting hole
and return loaded with food for all
in a barren landmark less land
This travelling to and fro
puts their skills to severe test
for if they miss their home nest
death shall surely be a consequence

7. Strange events
Ants use several navigational skills
in order to survive in inhospitable terrain
deal with problem of protection and
temperature which is very high
As for foraging they have to go far
distance and direction both matter
and they must know both precisely
to forage and return home quickly
ordinary ants can use pheromones
but desert ants, in their circumstances ,can’t
they do not have many reference points
and have only few minutes per day at their command
It is revealed that they keep track
by counting steps and light flow on the way
besides visual and olfactory cues nearer
home, to rely upon when they return
They can take cue from polarized light
and use sun compass , as also earths
magnetic field to take their bearing
and manage their affairs better than us !

8. Strange events
For sheer survival these ants also have
an internal mechanism in their ‘hands’
They produce heat resistant proteins
which they use whenever they go out
Silver ants in particular
are one step ahead of others
they have special silvery hairs
which reflect light in visible
and near infra red regions
simultaneously they emit heat
in middle infra red portion
and thus manage to keep cool
in temperatures in which others cant
Thus multiple methods and expertise
these wonderful insects utilize
and in their extreme environment
manage easily ! to survive .
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9. Strange events Cues and skills poems
Learning & Memory
Tiny Gobi fish
Seotaro - Wc - cc
Pixabay
Pixabay

10. Strange events
Learning & Memory
Learning and memory are skills
important in life’s itinerary
Fishes also possess them
to a varying degree
Gobi and Salmon fishes display them
Quite explicitly
Gobi fish
Gobi a small intertidal fish
is indeed quite smart
Foraging on rocks during high tide
looking for shelter when it ebbs
Remembers the rock pools
which saved her life
keeps jumping from one to another
at low tide, in order to survive.

11. Strange events Cues & skills
Sockeye Salmon Jumping over Beaver dam
US .EPA – Wc –Flickr-Wc – cc Khristina Ramstad –Wc - cc
Atlantic Salmon Salar
Hans-Petter Fjeld – Wc – CC BY SA

12. Strange events
Salmon - Leaping at Willamette falls
NOAA – Wc – Public domain
Skillful Salmon
Salmon is indeed famous
for its skills and sense
Born upstream travels unaided
down the river up to the sea
and then on into the great ocean
to pass life swimming on and on
till time comes to return
as instinct switches memory on

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And it impatiently rushes and reaches
somehow, the parent rivers mouth(s)
starts travelling upstream till it reaches
the streamlet where it was born.
Overcoming all the obstacles
on the way ,without resting even a bit
feeling at home here, mates and breeds
giving eggs in a nest ,it , thereafter , dies
leaving the baby ‘smolts’ to find
their own way en route to the ocean
keeping memory of home ‘etched ’
for use , when time comes to return.
How they manage to do so ?
is a question which still puzzles
Some say it is river’s smell
which guides them in their quest
But how can it be the only means ?
for it leaves many aspects unexplored
their impatience, eagerness and haste
rushing upstream , crossing hurdles

14. Strange events
jumping obstacles however great
feeling compelled to reach somehow
the mother stream, come what may
longing for it, being Oh so great
Many theories have been propounded
to explain the whole episode
some talk about guiding stars
and others of geomagnetic sense
Memory and senses play great role
is of course obvious
but how they do it is the question
for that is not so obvious .
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