Marvelous creature; the ant

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When we think of intelligent members of the animal kingdom, the creatures that we usually think are apes and monkeys. However, some members of the insect kingdom are considered intelligent creatures. The ant is a highly intelligent insect.

Ants store food, repel attackers and use chemical signals to contact each other in case of attack. Their farming society is also fabulous as it can compare to that of human beings. They do not harm the environment or use an enormous amount of energy. Furthermore, the crop farming of ants is sophisticated and adaptable.

Ants were farmers 50 million years before humans. Since they cannot digest the cellulose in leaves (but some fungi can), they cultivate this fungi in their nests, bringing them leaves to feed on, and then use them as a source of food.

The ants’ house is also brilliant. The ants have lived in urban settings for close on 100 million years. They develope and maintain underground cities of specialised chambers and tunnels.

The “megalopolis,” which is a name of the ants’ territory, was reported to be composed of 360 million workers and a million queens living in 4,500 interconnected nests across a territory of 2.7 km.

Ant societies have existed for more than 70 million years. Even though we think ants are only the small and harmful creatures around our life, they have more history than us and they also have inteligence.

Image courtesy: http://www.staringspestandrodentcontrol.com/files/images/carpenter-ants-log.preview.jpg