Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period. More than 13,800 of an estimated total of 22,000 species have been classified. They are easily identified by their geniculate (elbowed) antennae and the distinctive node-like structure that forms their slender waists.
Ants form colonies that range in size from a few dozen individuals often living in small natural cavities to highly organised colonies that may occupy large territories with sizeable nest that consist of millions of individuals or into the hundreds of millions in super colonies. Typical colonies consist of various castes of sterile, wingless females, most of which are workers (ergates), as well as soldiers (dinergates) and other specialised groups. Nearly all ant colonies also have some fertile males called “drones” and one or more fertile females called “queens” (gynes). The colonies are described as superorganisms because the ants appear to operate as a unified entity, collectively working together to support the colony.
Ants have colonised almost every landmass on Earth. The only places lacking indigenous ants are Antarctica and a few remote or inhospitable islands. Ants thrive in moist tropical ecosystems and may exceed the combined biomass of wild birds and mammals. Their success in so many environments has been attributed to their social organisation and their ability to modify habitats, tap resources, and defend themselves. Their long co-evolution with other species has led to mimetic, commensal, parasitic, and mutualistic relationships.
Ant societies have division of labour, communication between individuals, and an ability to solve complex problems. These parallels with human societies have long been an inspiration and subject of study. Many human cultures make use of ants in cuisine, medication, and rites. Some species are valued in their role as biological pest control agents. Their ability to exploit resources may bring ants into conflict with humans, however, as they can damage crops and invade buildings. Some species, such as the red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta) of South America, are regarded as invasive species in other parts of the world, establishing themselves in areas where they have been introduced accidentally.
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Non-native ants are breaking down biogeographic boundaries and homogenizing community assemblages
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How 16th Century Trade Made Fire Ants an Early Global Invader
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While the ants are just wandering around looking for stuff they also lay down a pheromone so they can find their way home. They can tell how old the pheromone trail is so if they find a pile of sugar and bring some back they will get some buddies and they will all follow the first guys trail but if someone else finds the sugar pile and has a shorter route home they’ll start following that path. Eventually they have deduced the most efficient path by process of elimination.
Okay I’m gonna add to this by bringing up tandem running. You can potentially see this behavior right now if you go look for some ants on the porch or whatever. It’s just learning and teaching, it’s cool as hell.
Basically an ant (usually a younger one) that is looking to “learn” a path, usually because another ant has the scent of a good spot on them that’s fresher than their own (implying the route is faster), will engage in this tandem running with the ant that knows the better path already. The leading ant stops periodically along the way, and the follower will typically run all over the place before returning to the leader and tapping it with its antennae so that they can continue. They’ll do this routine many times before they reach the end of the path, and voila, the follower ant has learned a new path through those intermittent bursts of exploration.
Here’s a good video of ants doing it (good in that it’s clear, the music and video quality is all pretty early YouTube)(https://youtu.be/X2C7Sy2oPik)
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