Ants
You can find ants in just about every part of the world. The only exception is the very cold climates in the Artic and Antarctic. There are approximately 10,000 different species of ants within the family. There are probably still some ants out there that scientists haven't discovered yet. They come in a wide variety of sizes, some can be almost 3 inches long, and others are so small you need a magnifying glass to see them. Unlike some bugs, many ants can see fairly well. They have two compound eyes, each of the compound eyes have between to 6 to 1,000 very small eyes. They help the ant to see nearby objects, their surroundings and much more. However there are some ants that are completely blind and they navigate by using their senses of touch and smell. Like many bugs, ants go through four stages of life. This is known as metamorphosis. The stages are egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most ants live for roughly 90 days. However, it depends on the species. One British researcher had a female black ant that lived for fifteen years! Ants consume many kinds of food. They eat worms, beetles, bees, termites, caterpillars and other insects. They also drink the juices from many plants. Some types of ants will eat fruit, seeds, honey, leaves and even fungus. As you probably know, ants will also consume many types of our food too. Ants are very strong and able to carry items that are much heavier than themselves. They have inner and outer jaws, the outer jaws are called mandibles and they use those to pick things up with, and for biting, digging and cutting. Ants live and work in colonies, they work together as a team to find food, care for the babies, build nests, and protect each other. Each colony has at least one queen ant. Queens are the biggest and mate and lay eggs. Worker ants will carry food to the Queen ant. Some special worker ants, called nurse ants, will help her take care of the young and the nest. In 2002, scientists discovered an ant colony 3600 miles long, this was the largest known colony. It consisted of billions of ants and stretched from Italy to Spain. Ants are near the bottom of the food chain and have many predators. Some animals that eat them are lizards, birds, frogs, spiders and of course, anteaters. Many ants are also killed by pesticides and humans. Some people in South America near the Amazon rainforest eat a species of ant that taste sweet. Ants loosen the soil with their travels, this helps plants grow better. Although they can be pests, they can be helpful in some gardens.