Ant Colony Foraging Simulation
Watch a colony discover food and share the route through pheromone trails laid on the journey home.
How it works
Ants leave the nest to explore the map. When an ant finds food, it carries it back to the colony and deposits scent along the way. Nest-mates without food sense those trails and travel in the opposite direction—outward from the nest—toward stronger scent and the food source. Over time, paths form and bend as more ants use faster, clearer ground.
The map is procedurally generated for each run. Light gray is open ground (normal speed). Brown is rough ground (mud or tall grass) that slows movement. Black cells are impassable obstacles; they only appear inside brown patches, like rocks or deep mud within a rough zone. Ants cannot enter black terrain; they steer around it. Ants returning with food may choose a clearer path left or right when mud blocks the direct line home.
Trails are stored on a grid and fade over time. New Map stops the run (if active) and generates fresh terrain only—the colony and food appear when you press Start. Stop pauses the simulation without changing the map.
Rules
- Pheromone Communication - Ants with food leave chemical trails that guide other colony members toward food sources.
- Food Collection - Ants explore randomly, then return directly to the colony when carrying food.
- Terrain - Open ground is fastest; rough ground slows ants; black cells are impassable obstacles nested inside rough patches.
- Trail Following - Foragers sense trails and travel outbound (away from the nest) toward stronger scent.
- Homing Choices - Ants carrying food steer around rough ground when a clearer left-or-right path exists.
References
All content on this page — including photos, videos, and field audio recordings — was created by Karl-Heinz Müller, a Montréal-based wildlife filmmaker, sound recordist, and photographer. Founder of MUUUH and Québec Sauvage, he has spent over a decade documenting Canada’s natural habitats through immersive soundscapes and wildlife films. Learn more about Karl-Heinz
Last updated: 2026-05-22