Antastic symmetry in a Jerusalem yard

If ants want something, they’ll get it, no matter how improbably big it is. That’s what VeeVee Merlin-Knopp, a Buffalo-born animal-assisted therapist from Jerusalem, discovered right in her yard this weekend. (No, she doesn’t use ants in her line of work.)

Ants are known for being able to carry up to 50 times their body weight and, like other swarm animals, behave extremely effectively in groups — with a capacity to divide labor, communicate and solve complex problems — sometimes even to the point where they surprise scientists.

Merlin-Knopp’s yard stills and video show a small number of ants moving large chunks of cat food across the floor. What immediately catches the eye, partial to symmetry, is, well, the symmetry with which the ants carry out the task.

“I was just mesmerized by their actions,” said Merlin-Knopp. “The symmetry was unbelievable.”