Ants help the environment. They are social insects living in large colonies, which consist of millions of ants. They come in four varieties in a colony: The queen, the female workers, males, and soldiers. The male ant’s job is to mate with future queen ants. The males do not live very long afterwards. Once the queen grows to adulthood she spends the rest of her life laying eggs.
Depending on the species, a colony may have one queen (or many queens).
Soldier ants that protect the queen, defend the colony, gather or kill food, and attack enemy colonies in search for food and nesting space. If they defeat another ant colony, they take away eggs of the defeated ant colony. When the eggs hatch, the new ants become the "slave" ants for the colony. Some jobs of the colony include taking care of the eggs and babies, gathering food for the colony and building the anthills or mounds. Did you know…?
1.
ANTS carry up to 50 times their body weight: They may be small insects, but they can produce
more force pound-per-pound because their
muscles have a greater cross-sectional area relative to their body size when
compared to larger animals. They have little problem picking up those pieces of
food. An ant can lift 20 times its own body weight. If a second grader was as
strong as an ant, she would be able to pick up a car.
2.
Ants don’t have lungs OR HEAR (LIKE WE DO): Instead of lungs, ants breathe through small holes that
cover their body. Oxygen enters the openings, and carbon dioxide leaves, which
means ants, lack blood vessels. Ants don’t have lungs. Ants don’t have ears.
Ants "hear" by feeling vibrations in the ground through their feet.
3.
Ants were around with the DINOSAURS: The ants you see crawling around today are estimated to
have first evolved about 130 million years ago, as found through fossil
evidence. Today, nearly 20,000 ant species
now roam the earth. There are more than 12,000 species of ants all over the
world. When foraging for food, ants leave a pheromone trail so that they know
where they’ve been.
4.
Queen ants have wings: When queen ants are born, they often possess wings for
various purposes. Though they eventually shed their wings, the detail
differentiates them from similar-looking ants. When they lose them, it can be
tougher to tell the difference. Some queen ants can live for many years and
have millions of babies.
Queen ants have wings, which they shed when they start a new
nest. When the queen of the colony dies, the colony can only survive a few
months. Queens are rarely replaced and the workers are not able to reproduce.
5.
Some people eat ants: If you visit some
countries, a side of ants could be served
with your meal. As much as you recoil, some believe ants have a pleasant flavor
so they’re celebrated in many areas. If you’re not so eager on the idea of
eating the insects, you can visit certain places that will serve them covered
in chocolate.
6.
They’re smart and consistent: Not only are ants smart enough to build
living rafts during a flood, they even have
assigned seating on these boats these ants will remember their place and work
with their counterparts to consistently build a raft. When ants fight, it is
usually to the death.
“I think
everybody should study ants. They have an amazing four-part philosophy. Never
give up, look ahead, stay positive, and do all you can.” (Jim Rohn)[i]
[i] Sources used:
·
“6 Facts about Ants You Didn’t Know” by Plunkett’s Pest Control
·
“Ants:
Ant Facts for Kids” by Pest World for Kids
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