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Updated 14 Oct 20261 sourceBrowse Pandipedia

The ant that built a roof around fallen straws

Two fallen straws. The start of a roof.
An account in Homes Without Hands describes an ant building around straws that happened to cross.

A tiny builder used what was already there. Crossed straws became part of the roof.

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Two fallen straws. The start of a roof.
An account in Homes Without Hands describes an ant building around straws that happened to cross.
First, fill the corners.
The ant placed clay pellets in the angles, then laid rows along the straws.
A ceiling grew around the straws.
As the clay spread, the crossed stems became supports within the roof. The starting materials were already on the ground.

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