1. ANTS ANTS ANTS Arthropod Insect
“Bugs aren’t going to inherit the earth, they own it.” Thomas Edison

2. Ant preserved in amber 8 million years old
There are over 12,000 species of ants. They are true insects with 3 body regions (head, thorax, and abdomen), six jointed legs, a pair of antennae, and exoskeleton. Ants are the longest living of all insects – living up to 30 years. They live on every continent except Antarctica, but they are mostly found where it is warm. They are related to wasps and other stinging insects. The ants worst enemies are other ants.

3. Ants and termites are so small they are sometimes difficult to distinguish. Note the differences in the wings and body shape
ANT
TERMITE

4. Ants are true insects and have three body parts (head, thorax, abdomen), 6 jointed legs attached to the thorax, a pair of antennae, and an exoskeleton (a hard external covering that protects the body and is a point of attachment for muscles). The abdomen contains the heart and two stomachs, one to hold food for them and one to share food with others by spitting it up. The mandible is used for digging, carrying, and building nests. Other mouthparts are used for chewing food and they have a tongue for sucking up liquids. They may have stingers or spray poison. Some ants can swim. They don’t have lungs; oxygen and other gases pass through the exoskeleton via tiny valves called spiracles. The antennae are bent (elbow antenna) and used to smell. Their two compound eyes allow them to only see things close up. Some ants have no eyes. Clawed feet let them climb trees or walk on the underside of leaves. Ants hear with their legs, thorax, head, and antenna by feeling vibrations in the ground. The front part of the abdomen is the petiole that lets the ant bend and twist through underground tunnels.

5. Ant Hill

6. Ant Mound

7. Underground Ant Colony
This is what an ant colony looks like!
This is an aluminum cast of an underground ant colony created by American entomologist and retired biology professor Walter R. Tschinkel.

8. Carpenter ant

9. Small ant larvae and larger pupae

10. Fire Ant

11. Fire Ant Stings

12. Ants eating a wood louse.

13. Army Ants Bridge Building

14. Army Ant Scavengers

15. Winged and wingless queen

16. The ant is one of the worlds’ strongest creatures in relation to its size. Ants are capable of not only lifting and carrying up to 50x their own body weight. Some ants can support up to 100x their own weight upside down on glass.

17. Unusual Ants
Honey Pot Ant
Citronella Ant

18. Honey Pot Ants

19. Ants eating colored sugar mixture

20. Gliding Ant of the Rainforest

21. The Harvester Ant

22. Jack Jumper Ants

23. Leaf Cutter Ants

24. Leafcutter Ants

25. Leafcutter Worker Castes

26. paraponeraclavata

27. Trap jaws

28. Harpegnathos saltator

29. Male Bulldog Ant

30. Red Velvet Ant

31. Weaver Ant

32. Weaver Ants

33. Weaver Ant Nest in Mango Tree

34. Bullet Ant

35. The Ghost Ant

37. Miscellaneous ants Acrobat ant Pavement ant Carpenter ant Field ant
Moisture ant
Ghost ant
Argentine ant
Odorous ant
Harvester ant
Pharaoh ant
Big headed ant
Thief ant
Fire ant
Citronella ant