Ants are insects that belong to the Hymenoptera order. Scientists have studied more than two thousand species of ants that exist all over the world. Most ants are no bigger than an inch.
Ants are social animals and have their own kingdoms, which mean that they live together in large colonies or groups. Some colonies may contain over millions of ants. Most colonies make nests in the ground or in dead trees. There are three kinds of ants in each colony-----egg-laying queens, males who don to work and a corp of female workers. An ant colony contains many cells or lives in one and lays eggs in another. Next door is the hatching room, where the grubs turn into pupa and are carried into another room to develop. There are chambers for storing food also. An ant colony may contain several queens, each with its own suite of rooms. Worker ants collect food, feed the young ants and build the nest. Some species of ants also have female soldier ants. They protect the nest.
Army ants are a type of ants found in the tropical jungles. Thousands of them march in a narrow band to a different place every day, and eat any animal that comes in their way. They eat away the flesh off the bones of dead animal very quickly.
Ants have the capacity to do many things. They are able to travel long distances away from their nest and find their way back, because they follow their own chemical trails. Ants are very strong. They can lift things that weigh 50 times more than their own body weight.
