The Worlds Most Adaptable Species

Ants are truly some of the planets oldest insects.  They have been admired throughout ancient societies for their dedication and work ethic but also their team work there are no individuals in an ant colony.  Ants have gotten the attention of Greek mythology.  Ants turn up when Aeacus is stuck on in island deserted from all human beings.  To put an end to Aeacus solitude Zeus turns the ants of the island into men.  These men become the perfect followers for Aeacus and are even brought to war in Troy.  Ants become the model for the soldier they obey and have no sense of individualism every one is for the colony

            Ants are everywhere.  Look almost any where out doors, in residential yards, woods lands, grass areas, any where, ants can be found.  There are an estimated twenty thousand different species of ants.  Various resources give different answers in regards to how many species there are.  This is probably due to the fact that ants are the worlds most adaptable creatures they have been here before humans and will probably last longer than humans.  The ant population of the world is infinitely greater than human beings.  With that being said it is eerie how similar they are to human beings.  Ants are extremely social creatures.  For Example the western harvester ants are known for their small mounds which from a humans point of view look like enough room for maybe ten ants when they actually tunnel down 15 feet.  In those 15 feet there are hundreds of tunnels.  Certain tunnels lead to areas that are used for nurseries, food storage, and resting places for worker ants.  This is truly amazing in comparison to other insects that are no where near as social and doesn’t work together like ants do.

            Ants have three primary body parts.  Ants have a head, thorax, gastor (which is the ant’s abdomen).  The head of an ant contains its antenna which is extremely sensitive because it is used to interact with other ants it is how they communicate with each other mainly to stay organized.  The ant contains handibles which act as its jaws.  Ants use Handibals to grasp, tear, and cut on a daily basis.  Ants have a unique gland called the petiole which connects from the abdomen to the tail end.  What’s so special about the petiole is it contains an antiseptic which wards off predators but also provides with anti bacterial and anti fungal chemicals which helps them survive in their unique damp and dark environment this function is carried out through the petiole gland but the chemicals are contained in the metapleural gland.  It is believed that this gland releases pheromones for ant to ant communication purposes.

            The life of an ant usually lasts six to ten weeks but some worker ants can last up to seven weeks and some queens can last up to fifteen years.  The ant goes through four basic stages from egg to larva to pupil and then to adult.  The ant egg is an oval shaped egg layed by the queen ant.  When the egg hatches a larvae begins to develop which is just like a white blob and can not move or eat by its self.  Feeder ants feed these larvae until the white layer of blubber sheds itself off then the ant transforms into a pupa.  The pupa ant will spin a silk like cocoon around itself it is during this period that the pupa will transform itself into the adult ant.  As an adult the ant will assume its role in the colony where it will remain until it dies.

            One of the more interesting periods of an ant’s life is its mating period.  The only purpose of the ant’s wings is to mate with the queen.  The queen has the wings as well but like the mails she looses them after the mating flight.  The mating occurs when ants fly around each other in what is called a swarm.  Interestingly enough after the ants mate the males die off and when the males die off the queen will leave the colonies to start their own.  They will give birth to their first class of worker ants.  After they give birth to the worker ants the queens will then begin a full time job of laying eggs to continue to build and develop her colonies.

            Ants are the only social insects on the planet that we know of.  Ants all live together in colonies there are no known versions of hermit ants that grow up to live lonely lives in their own little ant holes.  All ants revolve around their queen ant.  The queen ant starts the colony when she flies away from her home land in search of a new spot where she will lay her eggs.  When the first batch of eggs hatch those ants become the first set of worker ants which will begin to dig tunnels which will make room for the queen and all the following ants to come.  Ants can assume a roll but it has been proven that they can adapt from role to role in times of emergency.  For example a gathering ant can become a worker ant in the event of a tunnel collapse.  This principal of switching roles in times of crisis shows how civilized ants are.  There are hunter ants as well which bring back food like earth worms and larva.  Ants help each other carry vegetation like leaves as well.  All these tasks that ants perform keep indicating a higher level of intelligence than a lot of animals let alone insects.

            Some colonies of ants contain over a million ants.  For example the fire ants are known for traveling in extremely large packs and will swarm and attack anything in its path.  Fire ants have been known to even attack human beings and in some cases kill them.  On the discovery channel there was a special about the fire ant and in remote regions in Africa there have been reports of small infants in tents that get eaten alive by the critters in their sleep.

            The Fire ant was introduced to America in 1929 and it was completely by accident not nature.  A cargo ship arrived in Mobile, Alabama carrying used soil from South America.  The Fire ant quickly started to spread and reproduce rapidly.  What was really interesting is the American Fire Ant spread so quickly because it had no natural predators.  South America there for was not having any problems with fire ants because they were being kept at reasonable levels.  What started in Alabama has now spread to thirteen other states.  Fire ants have spread as far north as Kansas and as far west as California.  Researchers say that they will never be able to spread to areas farther north because of soil temperatures during the winter.

            The Fire ant represents no matter how aggressive and vicious they act they still obey a lot of similar characteristics as less harmful ants do.  Fire ants to some extent are the extreme of how powerful ants can be.  Their speed translated into human speed would be about running 60 mph.  Fire ants build a mound but much more intimidating than the average ant hill it typically jets up 15 inches into the air.  Fire ants use their jaws to bite and leave sharp excruciatingly painful red marks; the mark leaves a small mark.

            From the wonderful creation of you tube it is possible to witness a young man hold his face down on a fire ant hill for up to ten seconds.  Five minutes after the boy is finished his face looks like a young teens that has an extreme case of acne.  They are dangerous creatures who should not be interfered with.  August 28, 2008 a high school soccer field in a small rural town in Tennessee gets invaded by fire ants.  An estimated fifty fire ant Hills pop up through out the field.  These critters are by far as dangerous as ants get and they don’t belong in America which shows how Americans get rid of stuff they need and bring in stuff they don’t.  There was no back ground check done in 1923 when the soil was brought over which will probably be the biggest mistake anyone will make with ant besides the young man who sticks his face on fire ant hills as a recreational hobbies.

            With fire ants the sky’s the limit in the south.  Fire Ants shouldn’t be there.  In general though ants are a very adapted insect that for the most part has probably plateued.  Ants are extremely adapted to the environment to the point where they will never be in danger of ever becoming extinct.  Scientist then study ants because of how disciplined they are. Human beings can relate with the ant’s methods of doing everything for the colonies they reflect a lot of human ideals such as team work and being able to accomplish so much more then meets the eye.

            The common Black Back Yard Ant is probably the most common insect in the world yet the most fascinating to watch.  They almost seem to have human instincts.  For example when hobbyists who are really getting into ant farming go looking for a queen ant in their backyard they are always wearing their garden gloves.  No matter how small the ants are in relation to the hobbyist they will not go down without a fight for their queen.  Broker and guard ants will use their jaws to bite a persons hand when they go for the queen ant.  Dig down under the first layer of an ant hill and certain chambers will be found where ants are feeding off of earth worms.  They always make the most of their recourses when a human spits on the ground they will actually turn the spit into a watering hole.  No matter how many eight year olds make it their hobby to destroy the ant hills they will always pop right back up.