There are over 12000 ant species worldwide. Ranging from the ant you might
find scuttling across your picnic to the ants building underground
fortresses in the rain in the rain forest to flying ants.
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| Ant Facts |
10-Facts About Ants
1. The bullet ant is said to have the most painful sting conditions such
as the Amazon ironica, their sting has been compared to being hit by a
bullet – ouch!
2. Fire ants cause over £3 billion worth of damage a which causes a
burning sensation – hence the name “fire ant”, which costs the US millions
in veterinary and medical bills every year! They’ve also been known to
cause damage to farmer’s crops.
3. Ants are the longest living insects, Unlike some bugs who might only
live for days or even hours, the queen ant of one particular species the
queen ant of one particular species-the Pogonomyrmex Owyhee -can live
up to 30 years-so be careful not to stand on her!
4. The ant is one of the world’s strongest creatures in relation to its
size. A single ant can carry 50 times its own body weight, and they’ll even
work together to move bigger objects as a group!
5. Ants hold the record for the fastest movement in the animal
kingdom.
6. The aptly named species of trap jaw ant can close its jaws at 140 mph,
which it uses to kill its prey or injure predators Image if that bit you on
the bum!
7. Ants are social insects which live in colonies. The colony also called a
formicary, is made up of one or more egg-laying queens and a large amount of
female "worker" ants who tend to her build and maintain the nest, forage for
food and and care for the young. Male ants have wings and their only
function is to mate with the queen.
8. Ants don’t vibrations from the ground through their feet, and eye-less
ants such as the driver ant species can communicate by using their antennae!
Plus, they can send chemical signals (called pheromones') released through
their body to send messages to other ants! They send out warning when
danger’s near, leave trails of pheromones' leading to food sources and even
use them to attract mate – a sort of ant love potion!
9. The largest ant’s nest ever found was over 3,700 miles wide! Found in
Argentina in 2000,the ginormous colony housed 33 ant populations which had
merged into one giant super colony, with millions of nests and billions of
workers!
10. Total weight of ants present on the Earth is greater than the weight of
total humans present on the Earth.