Figure 3. Homing success and navigational efficiency of the nocturnal bull ant, Myrmecia pyriformis.

Top row: Homing paths of ants released at the base of their foraging tree (R, blue circle) to the nest (N, black circle) in three one-hour slots: (a) Dark: 60–120 minutes before sunrise, (b) Dim: 30 minutes on either side of sunrise, (c) Bright: 60–120 minutes after sunrise. Red: ants that successfully returned to the nest; grey: ants that did not return to the nest within 50 minutes of tracking. Bottom row: (d) Sinuosity of all paths: the larger the E_max value the straighter are the paths; (e) homing duration of successful ants (difference between the times of release and nest entry); (f) travel speed of all ants including pauses. Sector graphs show the proportion of ants that reached the nest within the recording duration of 50 minutes. Significance codes: *p<0.05; **p<0.01; ***p<0.001.