Which of the following organisms perform waggle dance for others of their kin to indicate the direction and the distance to a source of their food?
(a) Butterflies
(b) Dragonflies
(c) Honeybees
(d) Wasps
The correct answer is (c) Honeybees.
Honeybees perform a waggle dance to communicate the location of a good source of food (nectar rich flowers), or water, and also to describe the whereabouts of the site of a potential new home for a swarming bee colony.
The waggle dance is a sophisticated form of spatial referential communication. The dancer repeatedly circles in a figure-eight pattern centered around a waggle run in which the bee waggles its abdomen as it moves forward. Longer waggle runs communicate greater distances (more retinal optical flow), and the waggle direction angle communicates resource direction.
The waggle dance is a fascinating example of how animals can communicate complex information with each other. It is also a reminder of the importance of bees in our ecosystem.
