Childrens Illustrated Encyclopedia

TermiTe mound

many termites make small nests in dead trees or

underground. A few kinds of termites build a mound

that contains a termite city—a home for many millions

of termites. in hot areas, the mounds have tunnels and

ventilation holes and may be more than 20 ft

(6 m) high. The mounds are often

occupied for more than 50 years,

and the thick walls help keep out

anteaters and other predators.

The queen and king termites

live in a royal chamber

deep inside the mound.

29

imAGine HoW mAnY millions of ants and termites live on this

planet. There are at least 12,000 different

kinds of ants and 2,750 kinds of termites.

These tiny creatures are among the most

fascinating animals on earth. Both ants and

termites are social insects, living in large

groups called colonies, where each individual

has a specific job to do. The queen

(the main female) mates with a male

and then spends her life laying eggs.

The hordes of workers do such jobs

as gathering food and rearing the young.

Soldiers protect the nest and the

foraging workers. Ants eat a variety of

food, including caterpillars, leaves, and

fungi. Termites feed mostly on plant

matter, and they are among nature’s

most valuable recyclers.

TermiTeS

The queen and male termites

have wings. They take flight

and mate, and then the queen

returns to the nest. The queen

does not leave the nest again

and is cared for by the courtier

workers. The main male,

or king, is larger than

the workers and

remains with

the queen.

Young

male

termite

Workers regurgitate

(spit out) food for

queen, king, and

soldier termites.

Courtier workers

feed and clean

queen and king.

Soldier

termite

Fungus grows

on the termites’

dung (waste matter)

inside the termite

mound. These

areas are called

fungus gardens.

Termites feed

on the fungus.

King

termite

Thorax

Termite

mound

has many

tunnels.

LeAf-cuTTinG AnTS

Ants can lift objects that weigh

more than they do. Leaf-cutting

ants bite off pieces of leaves and

carry them back to a huge

underground nest. Here they

chew the leaves and mix

them with saliva to make

a kind of compost.

fungus—the leaf-cutting

ant’s only food—grows

on this compost.

Middle leg

Rear

leg

Worker ant

Queen lays

20,000 or

more eggs

daily in the

royal chamber.

Courtier

workers

Queen

termite

Ant squirts

formic acid

from rear of

body in self-

defense.

Antenna can bend

like an elbow joint.

Jaws

Head

Claw

Worker AnT

All worker ants are female. Their long,

claw-tipped legs allow them to run fast and

climb well. Workers collect food, regurgitate

it to feed the other ants, look after eggs and

larvae, and clean the nest. They do not have

wings, unlike the queen and male ants.

Abdomen

ArmY AnTS

A few ants, such as these army

ants of South America, do

not make permanent

nests and are always

on the move. As the

colony marches

through the forests,

they forage for insects,

and sometimes even

eat large animals alive.

Find out more

Animals

ecology and food webs

insects

Spiders and scorpions

Termite

mound

Nursery

for termite

larvae

Eye

Ants and termites

Cooling chimney

lets warm air

and carbon

dioxide

out of the

termite

mound.

AnT HeAd

The Asian tree-living ant

has simple jaws for feeding

on soft insects. other ants

and termites have strong

jaws for chewing wood

and hard plant stems.

AnT HiLL

most of the passages of an ant

hill are underground. eggs,

larvae (grubs), and pupae

are kept in separate parts

of the nest. Large-jawed

soldiers guard the

entrances. A large

ant nest may contain

100,000 ants.

Front leg

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