Slave-hunting ants, capable of asexual reproduction, known for nurturing other insects or cultivating fungi are some of the unique abilities that ants possess.
1. Ants Heal Wounds
In some tribes around the world, such as the Maasai in East Africa, ants can be used as tools for healing wounds. When Maasai warriors are injured, they simply need to find a few large soldier ants and let them bite on either side of the wound, then remove the ant’s body while leaving the head on the wound.
2. Ants Have Existed for Over 100 Million Years
Ants have existed since the Cretaceous period, approximately 110-130 million years ago. Through millions of years of evolution, ants have developed a high level of organization.
3. Burial Services in Ant Colonies
When an ant in the colony dies, other ants will carry the body out of the nest to maintain hygiene and prevent infection or disease from spreading within the colony. Although any worker ant can perform this task, there is always a specific ant responsible for this duty within the colony.
4. Asexual Reproduction Ability
Ants in the Amazon have the ability to reproduce asexually, creating exact replicas of the mother ants. According to researchers, this asexual reproductive trait originates from a type of fungus, which has been a traditional food source for ants for over 80 million years.
5. Education in the Ant World
Ants are insects with a highly advanced organizational system. A colony consists of many worker ants responsible for various tasks such as foraging for food, guarding, caring for eggs, and nurturing young ants. However, not all worker ants are born with the necessary skills programmed in their DNA to perform these tasks; they must go through a learning process to master specific jobs.
The “teacher” ants in the colony will instruct the younger ants on necessary tasks, and if the “students” learn slowly and “fail” during evaluations, they will be reassigned to jobs that do not require specialized skills.
6. Agriculture of Ant Species
Attine ants practice agriculture by cultivating fungi. These ants even use special “pesticides” to combat parasites that threaten their crops.
Scientists have discovered five different agricultural systems used by ants. All agricultural ants share certain habits in their fungal gardens, suggesting they might have shared agricultural techniques with one another.
7. Ants Use Natural Herbicides and Disinfectants
Bacteria present on the surface of ants can inhibit the spread of parasites or weeds. This is considered a natural herbicide and disinfectant that ants use in their fungal gardens. Additionally, wood ants often add resin when building their nests, which hinders the growth of bacteria and fungi.
Lemon ants typically build their nests on trees and produce a natural herbicide that can kill all surrounding vegetation.
8. Ants Nurture Other Insects
Ants are known to nurture insects such as aphids and caterpillars to harvest the sweet substance secreted by these insects. Similar to cattle herders, ants protect their livestock from predators and migrate them in herds.
When it’s time to collect the sweet substance from their insect herds, ants “milk” them using their antennae. Ant colonies often carry their insect herds when moving to a new area, much like humans taking livestock along while searching for greener pastures.
9. Tactical Fighting Skills
Similar to humans, the world of ants also experiences fierce wars. During conflicts, ants employ various strategies based on specific threats. Ants can even disrupt chemical signals, causing their opponents to become confused and attack one another.
10. Slavery in the Ant World
In the ant world, not all ants work hard; many rely on the labor of slave ants. To acquire slaves, ants wage wars to capture pupae and enslave them upon hatching.
Polyergus breviceps is a species of ant that cannot care for itself or its young, and even cannot clean its own nest. When attacking another ant colony, this species secretes formic acid to induce panic, collapse the opponent’s defense system, and easily steal ant pupae.
