I.

Introduction

Around us, there are many mysterious things that we have not still discovered. Animal’s
world is one of these. There are about million different species of animal, from huge and
powerful species as dinosaur, lion, etc… till tiny species as bee, butterfly, etc…Each of
these plays each different roles to help balance the ecology and various in species.
However, when somebody was asked, almost they just know about huge and powerful
species much more than tiny species which in fact that have many benefits more than we
imagine. Therefore, we will get information about one of these tiny species. Although it
is just a small animal, it has been call “Earth’s most successful species”. Furthermore,
there have many interesting things about it. It is ants.
II. Basic information

Ant is a small social insects that live in organized communities called a colony.
There are near 20,000 species of ants that vary in size, color, and ways of life. Most
are a dull, drab color such as brown, rust, or black. Besides that, some kinds of ants
are yellow, green, blue, or purple. The largest ant species can reach over 1 inch in
length, while the smallest is about 1/25 of an inch. Some ants can lift items 50
times more than their weight.
According to the scientist, the first ant appeared in our planet about 140million-
150million years ago. At this time, with small size, they often became food for the
other insect. After 6 million year, by the way live in organized communities, ant
makes the golden time of their species. The development of ant continues until
now.

III. Body feature

Ants have three main body parts: head, trunk and rear (or metasoma).
The head of ants consists of pinchers, feelers and eyes. Their eyes are made up by many
lenses that enable them to see movement very well. There are two feeler that are attached
to the head. The feelers are a special organs of smell that help ants communicate but also
so are organs of touch, taste and hearing. Their two strong pinchers have many functions
such as: carry food, dig and defend. The food are stored in a small pocket inside their
mouth.
The trunk includes six legs are attached to it. At the end of each led is a sharp claw that
helps ants climb and hang on things.
The metasoma of the ants contains stomach and rectum. Generally, it has a poison sack
and many type of ants also has stingers. This parts can help us defend against enemies.
In addition to, ants do not have lung. There are many tiny holes all over the body.
Oxygen will enter and Carbon Dioxide will leaves through these holes. Ants also do not
have blood vessels. Their blood is colorless. The heart is a long tube that pumps it from
the head to the rear and then come back to the head. The nervous system of ants include a
long nerve cord that also run from head to rear with branches leading to other parts of the
body. It is quite like a human spinal cord.
 II. Reproduction
Ants have a life cycle. It has four stages: eggs, larva, pupa and adult.
The life of an ants starts from an egg. Ant’s eggs are oval shaped and tiny. If the egg is
fertilized, the progeny will be female ant (queens, workers, or soldiers); if not, it will be
male ant. Then, ants continue developing by complete metamorphosis with larval stage.
Larval is fed and cared for by workers. Food is regurgitated by adult ants. During this
time, larval molts many times. After a series of moults, it grows and enters the pupal
stage. At this stage, the larval spins a cocoon around its self and its body continue
changes into an adult form. Finally, the pupa emerges as an adult. The entire life cycle
usually lasts from 6 to 10 weeks. Normally, female ants can live longer than male ants
because male ants just only have one purpose to mate with queen ants. Some queens can
live over 15 years and some workers can live for up to 7 years. However, male ants just
can survive only few weeks.

IV. Living instinct

1. Ant nests
Normally, ant’s nest is so complex, so it need to be built by many ants. With other
species are nomadic, they do no build permanent nest. Ant usually build nest in the
ground, under stones or logs, inside logs, hollow stems or even acorns. It also depend on
the species and the climate. For example, in cool climate, ants often build their nest under
stones where are heated by the sun. On the other hand, in warm climate, they build nest
inside logs on tree. Ants often build nest quickly and they take advantage of the useful
materials which are given in this location. One of the most common materials is soil.
Ant’s nest should be below the surface or as deep as 10.6 meters below the surface.
Besides that, they also use dirt, sand and small sticks. Some species use many small
sticks ,mix it with dirt and sand to make nest stronger. It can prevent the nest from rain.
Nest plays an important role to protect for the queen and the developing young, so it was
built very logically. It has many chambers connected by tunnels. Each chamber has each
function. For example, chamber for worker ants to relax, chamber for young, chamber to
store foods, etc.
2.Communication
Ants live in large colonies or groups. Some colonies even consist of millions of ants.
Therefore, communication is very important. According to the research of the scientists,
ants really do communicate with each other and very effectively too. They found out
three ways which ants use to communicate
Ants use chemical signal called a pheromone. It is a kind of scent or smell which is
produced by animals that affects the behavior of other animals. Ants is a typical example.
They usually leave scent to alert nestmates to danger. With ants live on the ground, they
also use soil surface to make trail as a signal. On the other hand, pheromone is also used
to guide other ants about way to get out of danger or go to food source, areas which need
help, etc. For example, when ants go to find foods, the leader ants will go first and mark
pheromone trial. Other ants will followed this trial, but when the food source is
exhausted, no new trails are marked by returning ants and the scent is gradually
disappear.
Some species of ants use sound to communicate. If their nest is caved in, ants which are
stuck will drum their head on the floor of their chambers or make noisy sound. Other ants
will follow these sounds to find and rescue these ants.
Ants also use touch to communicate. When ants have discovered a food source, they will
strike their feelers to attract the attention of other ants.

3. Movement
Despite of the small, ants still have ability to find their food far from their nest and come
back exactly and safety. According to the scientists from Sheffield university, there are
two important factors which help ants can determine the direction by themselves when
they find food far away from the nest. Firstly, it is the angle’s amplitude of two ways that
they made. Secondly, they have a special chemical signal that is not only used to mark so
they can find the way back into their house easily but also help the ants that follow
behind don’t lost the way.
 4.Ability of leading:
In the process finding their foods, it seems that they have “leading ants” and
“staff ants”. “Staff” has responsibility to remember the place where has food and report
to their “leader” by feeler. The leader also teach the staff how to locate and memorize the
place where have their foods. According to Nigel frank professor, the guidance and
education of ants are not imitation. Ant is a kind of insect which has the brain smaller
than the human millions times but it is very good at teaching and learning. The leader
guide the way to the staff to find the food. During the way, they adjust the speed so they
can go together. If the leaders finds foods alone (don’t have the staff), they can go to the
place where have foods faster than go with the staff about 4 times. Teaching to the staff
how to memorize the place have food and transmit the signal by their feeler can make the
process very slowly. Sometimes the leader have to “snap” and “drag” the staff to go to
find the food. It can become faster and faster. The ants that are the leader willing to
change the behavior of others ants and accept to reduce their private effect.
5.Defense
Ants have many different kinds of defending themselves and attacking. When different
species of ants live in the same place they will defend for foods, nest sites or space. Ants
can bite or sting their enemies. Some genus of ants will spray chemicals if they are
attacked. There is a kind of ants which has name is Paraponera, has known as the most
painful sting of any insect. If someone is attacked by this ant, they can be killed because
of the poisonous sting. The genus Odontomachus is one of the animal kingdom which has
jaw can snap very fast with speed of between 126 and 230 kilometers per hour.

V. Advantages and disadvantages of ants

1. Advantages:
Ant is an insect that is very small but it has many advantages for the human life. It
can turn soil, reduce the populations of other insect, as food for some animals, even it can
pollinate flowers. In agriculture, they are very important because they can keep pests
under control. Furthermore, ants also have some benefit for human such as:
• . As food:
In Mexico, the egg of two different kinds of ants is the basis food known as
escamoles. The price of this dish is about 90 USD for 1 kilo. It is very expensive because it
depends on season and it very hard to find.
In India, a paste of worker ant is used like a kind of seasons with curry.
In Thailand, the eggs of worker ant can be used in Thai salad that is called “red ant
egg salad”. This special food comes from northeastern region of Thailand.
In Colombia, there is a big company sell about a half tons of Colombia ants for
others countries in Europe, Australia and America to make the special food is “Giant
Toasted Ants” which became popularity in England
 • As pet:
Thousands ants are now bringing up and taking care very carefully in almost
German‘s apartments. They are considered like pets and it is one of the new hobbies which
is attractive the interest of people. Many people spend hundreds Euro buying a plastic
vessel as big as a table. Inside this vessel, there is an “ant’s kingdom” with a Queen ant and
hundreds worker ants. Ants are easier to take care than other pets. For example, they eat
very little, they don’t have bad smell, don’t make noise, they can live about 30 years and
they are very clean.

• As medicine:
According to the scientists, in China there is a kind of ants, which is used to make
pharmaceutical products. It can prevent people from some diseases and reduce the illness.
That why ants are used as food and drink to cure some diseases relate to joint, hepatitis.
 2.Disadvantages:
Beside those advantages, the activities of ant also bring them into conflict with humans
and a number of ants now become pests:
• Ants can attack people and make them feel painful:
Especially, when children are bitten by ant, they will ache and hurt. They scratch
and make their skin abrade. There is a circumstance that had a man was attacked by the ant,
after few minutes, he itched all the body, felt sick, dizzy and oppressive. He was conduced
to the hospital. The doctor said that if he had gone to hospital latter, he would have been
died.

• Ant can damage the work architecture or the people’s house:

In China, there has a genus is call “white ant”. This genus like “eating wood”,
especially is ancient wood. There are many ancient temples and pagodas were built here
were attacked by “white ant”. As a result, it damaged seriously many work architecture.
If ants continue to develop, it not only destroy many things but also can damage the
ecological balance.

VI. Amazing things about ant

 Ant has fastest bite speed:
According to the scientist, one small species ant with the sciential name is
odontomachus bauri has the fastest bite speed in the animal's world. Their bite speed even
attain to 124-232km/s. With this speed, their body often be toss away when they bite. It's
the way to escape from danger too.
  Ant knows the way to set a trap:

In Amazon forest have one species ant which have been called with the name
Allomerus decemarticulatus. It's the intelligent ant, which always set a trap to catch their
victim. The size of this ant is only about 2mm but they can catch the grasshopper which
has size 3cm. Ant undermines the trees, and makes the hole to take cover inside it. When
their victim come and don't realize what is going on, ant will crept and bite their victim
immediately, make their victim petrify. After that, ant lays the grasshopper on the leaf
and eats.

 Ant know the way to sterilize:

According to the scientist of Lausanne University, Sweden, the Formica paralugubris-

one species of ant know the way to sterilize ant nest. Ant bring some knob of turpentine
into their house, by the way, turpentine will help them sterilize ant nest.

 Ant can swim, believe or not?

The scientist in Queensland has discovered the special ant, which is thought that the only
ant can swim in ant's world. Mr Simon Robson has found out this ant when he was
having a different research. He wanted to take a clip of the animal, which live in water.
His officer suggest to cinematograph this ant, he agreed and said that: ”Put it on the stone
in middle of water, ant can't go anywhere and you can cinematograph it. ”However, while
they were preparing to take the clip, this ant jumped into the water, swam and
disappeared. This ant lives on the tree mangrove, under the water. They can make the
oxygen-bubble and live into it; by the way, ant can swim and orient by them self. At this
time, this ant is continued as a subject to research.
IX. Conclusion

After getting information about ants, you certainly know many interesting things about
this insect. A small insect but is stronger than it looks like. Although it has some
disadvantages and sometime is called as complicated animal, it also has other benefits.
The problem is we should take advantages of its benefit and limit its disadvantage. In
addition, we also realize that even if it is huge and powerful animal or not, it is still
important , so the human should protect the living environment of not only it but also all
the other animals as well.