In late August, the States were hit by the first major storm to make landfall since 2005: Hurricane Harvey. The devastation that the hurricane wreaked on Houston, Texas has been on the news for weeks, and the reports have been terrifying.

As of September 14th, the death toll in Texas and the Caribbean has risen to 82, and the estimated damage could be up to $180 billion. Even though the immediate danger of the storm’s flooding (which reached past five feet in some places) is over, Texans are still trying to get rid of excess water and recover from the hurricane’s wrath.

In the flooding, personal belongings and wreckage have been found floating through the streets of Houston — but these haunting pieces of driftwood are not the strangest thing that has been found bobbing by in the aftermath of the floods.

When the storm was over, people immediately started to notice this strange phenomenon: bizarre reddish-brown clumps, drifting through the post-Harvey floods.

It’s almost impossible to guess what these odd, floating islands are upon first glance, but look a little closer and you might be horrified — or fascinated, depending on the kind of person you are!

The clumps? They’re actually colonies of venomous, red fire ants.

In an effort to survive the rising waters, thousands of ants were clinging together to create these massive, floating structures. Experts believe that each clump could contain as many as 100,000 of these resilient insects, trying to brave the aftermath of the storm until they can find a new home on dry land.

Naturally, if you’re near any of the floodings from Hurricane Harvey and you see these squirming islands, do NOT touch them! Fire ants are infamous for their painful bites and the creatures are extremely protective of their colonies right now — trying to prod at one could easily ruin your day.

What do you think of this incredible phenomenon? Have you ever seen anything like this before?