Fact : #3

                                                                  Ants 

                                                           

• Ants are related to wasps and bees, but most Ants don't fly.

• They are born with wings but lose them right after birth.

• Their bodies are divided into three main parts :

• The head has two compound eyes, a set of jaws called mandibles, and jointed antenna.

• The antenna detects chemicals called pheromones given off by other ants.

• With pheromones, an ant can leave a trail to food or identify ants from its colony.

• All six of the ant's legs are attached to its thorax.

• The abdomen holds the internal organs, and sometimes a stinger.

• Ants don't have hearts or lungs like ours.

• An ant breathes through tiny valves in its exoskeleton.

• Blood is pumped towards its head by a long, thin tube.

• Most ants are one of three kinds - workers, drones, and queens.

• Male ants are called drones, who have just one job: mating with the queen!

• Most female ants are workers, who can live up to three years.

• These workers go through three stages as they grow up :

• At first, they take care of other ants in the colony, like larvae.

• When they're a little older, workers begin to dig and tend to the physical nest.

• Finally, they head out to forage and defend the colony.

• Some females grow to be queens, who have just one job: Laying eggs!

• Some queens can live up to 30 years!

• Some species have really sophisticated behavior.

• Leafcutter ants grow a special fungus to eat and they can even figure out which leaves make the fungus grow best!

• Amazon ants can't feed themselves instead, they enslave ants of other species!

• And some ants actually herd caterpillars, taking them out to feed and then bringing them back to the nest and collecting a sweet liquid the caterpillars produce.

       Notes taken from :  BrainPOP.com