When a colony of fire ants gets flooded, they form to create a raft, keeping the queen and eggs, larvae, and pupae high and dry in the middle. Thanks to their exoskeleton that repels water, and also to their hairs that trap water bubbles, even those workers that form the bottom layer are safe from getting completely submerged. But they are not safe from predators. Fish may eat some of them as they float - and they can float for up to two weeks - so if the colony doesn't reach dry land soon enough, the raft may collapse.

It takes about 100-120 seconds for the ants to form the raft, and millions of them can be aboard. They hold onto each other with their sticky feet and mouth parts - an individual can have as many as 20 other ants grabbing its legs and feet. By grabbing an ant's limbs rather than its body, the raft may change shape more easily, and other ants may join the raft more quickly.

Meanwhile, in Cuero, the river has brought my aunt all of the fire ants. Yes, those are all (of the) fire ants. pic.twitter.com/dEibWYxAdl

— Bill O'Zimmermann (@The_Reliant) August 29, 2017