ELI5:How do terrestrial ant colonies survive torrential downpours without flooding in and drowning them?

Water does flood in. However, ants usually dig colonies at least a foot deep. That creates a lot of surface area relative to the tiny entrance hole, so the dirt absorbs the rain quickly. Ants also build chambers at the top of upward sloping tunnels, so water can’t flow in.

As a last-ditch effort, some species will form living rafts that can float on top of floodwaters.

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