Under Your Feet

40

ANT NATIONS

Imagine you were small enough to follow

an ant underground. You’d find yourself in

a connected set of tunnels teeming with

hundreds, thousands, or even millions

more ants. This is called a colony.

Leafcutter ants

These ants gather leaves to feed

fungi, which they grow for food.

The ants do different jobs to

keep the colony going.

Forager ants

find leaves for

the colony.

Excavators dig

new tunnels

and carry

away the dirt.

Ant tunnels

are like roads

in human cities.

U

sual

ly

,

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e

q

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e

e

n

l

a

y

s

eve

r

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e

g

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.

Super-colonies

Colonies can join up to form super-colonies.

One European super-colony stretches for

5,955 km (3,700 miles).

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