Ants - Delicate tiny creature

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Ants are one the most common and unappreciated insects in the world. Ants are generally so small like the size of one piece of iron fillings. Though they are one of the smallest beings on earth which are actually visible, they have many beautiful and distinct varieties. Some have wings, some are yellow, some are brown, some have a velvet texture, etc. Ants live in colonies which are headed by the queen ant. These colonies consist of drones - the males and the worker bees - the females whose job is to search for food. Ants are really hardworking, don't judge them by their size, they work more than us for sure! Ants though being really tiny can carry up to 50 times their own bodyweight!

Now lets dive in and and learn more about the ants...

Ants or formicidae are common insects but they have many unique abilities and a very important role in the ecosystem.
Ants like all insects have a hard outer covering called the exoskeleton that protects them. Ants have antennae which are typically joined in the middle and are used for giving and receiving messages. Ants have a narrow waist in between the abdomen and thorax. They have large heads, and powerful jaws generally used for defense, nest building and caring of larvae.
Ant species communicate by sound or a behavior called stridulation. They produce a high-pitched squeak by rubbing a thin, diagonal scraper located on their waist against a washboard of fine, parallel ridges on the adjacent surface of the abdomen.
The sound produced is barely audible to a human. 
Ants also communicate by secreting phermonoes or scent chemicals. These can alert other ants or lead them to a food source. This is the reason why ants walk in lines one after another!
Have you ever been stung by an ant? Well if you did, you must have felt an itchy, irritating feeling. This is because ants release formic acid which is released for defense purposes causing an itchy sensation. They are also sometimes released to disinfect themselves or to mark their territory!
Ants have many peculiar varieties like -

Red Velvet ant 

  • They use their bright colors as a signal to warn predators that they can sting and so they should stay away. Red velvets are usually solitary, and some individuals can be nocturnal.

Fire ant

A typical fire ant colony produces large mounds in open areas, and feeds mostly on young plants, insects and seeds. 

Fire ants often attack small animals such as small lizards and can kill them.




Now lets look at an ant under the microscope!

Tiny legs of an ant

The waist of an ant




Mouth of an ant
Well here we come to the end of our fantastic journey on ants! Hope you guys learnt a lot! Never stop being curious! 

Sources - https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/facts/ants
                https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_ant
                https://www.brighthubeducation.com/science-homework-help/129081-all-about-                    ants/#google_vignette

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