Ants are social insects and most live in colonies. Colonies can be extremely large consisting of millions of members. There are three different kinds of ants. The first kind is the queen, and she has one purpose. She mates and spends her entire life laying eggs. The second kind of ant is the male. The male ant mates with the queen and they don't live very long. The third kind of ant is the female worker. This ant cannot produce young and she is the one that builds the mounds and supplies the colony with food.
Most ants build some type of mound to live in. Many dig their mounds in the dirt or sand. Some use twigs to make them stronger. Some ants live in fallen logs or trees. Most ants build a system of tunnels under their mound. The tunnels connect rooms, or chambers, they use for specific purposes. Some of the chambers are used to store food and some are used as nurseries. Other rooms are used as resting places for the workers.
The ant's body is made up of three parts. The head, trunk and metasoma, or rear. Each ant has six legs that are attached to the trunk. An ant has eyes that allow them to see extremely well because of the many lenses. An ant's antennae are also very special. They allow the ant to hear, taste, touch and smell. Ants use their antennae to touch one another, which is the way they communicate.
Ants do not have lungs. They breathe through tiny holes all over their body. The blood inside an ant travels through one long tube that runs from its head to its rear. The nerve cord also runs from the head of the ant to its rear.
When ant colonies are moving or when they have found a source of food, ants leave a scent trail for other ants to follow. This happens when an ant scretes a chemicla called a pheromone.
Ants have been able to survive on the earth for more than 100 million years. Not many other species have been able to adapt as well as the ant in order to survive as long. Today, there are approximately 20,000 different species of ants, and they can be found almost anywhere and in every biome.
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