Ants play a fundamental role in the whole ecosystem, their behavior and prowess make them one of the most popular insects in the world.

Here are 10 interesting facts and behaviors of ants.

1-Carrying other dead ants

Ants have the habit of carrying and transporting other dead ants, this is due to the fact that ants are very protective and careful of their nest and ‘bury’ the bodies of their dead companions as far away as possible from the nest location.”

Ants, similar to humans, always have a kind of ” graveyard” where they gather all the ants that have died, and they bring sticks and rocks to the place.

Ants make their cemeteries, but they do not perform funerals or any kind of ritual where they deposit their deceased companions, it is just an act of pure practicality.

2- Ants helping each other

Very similar to the first case where ants can carry other dead ants, it can also be the case of ants helping other ants that are injured or in danger.

This is not precisely because ants are altruistic, in fact, ants can be considered one of the most pragmatic of all living things.

Individualistic behavior in ants is practically nonexistent, their actions are mechanically focused to work in society, helping other ants is the best thing for the colony.

When an ant is injured or in imminent danger, they produce a type of pheromone that sends a kind of help signal to the other ants.

3-Killing an ant attracts others

When an ant dies, it excretes from its body an oleic acid, this chemical substance will attract other ants, the body of the dead, and begins to expel this substance until the rest of the community detects it and undertakes the work of recovery of the corpse.

The oleic acid released by the ants when they enter the “state of decomposition” sends an automatic signal to the other ants that will immediately go to pick up the dead ant.

This is why it is not recommended to crush the ants, this will only attract other ants, maybe not immediately, but eventually, a dead ant will attract its companions by releasing the chemical substance in its body.

4-Citrus smells repel ants

Ants tend to use chemical odors that they secrete from their own bodies to guide and communicate with each other, they have an extremely sensitive sense of smell, citrus odors, being strong smells, can repel and confuse ants.

The citrus in the lemon will confuse ants and disturb their sense of direction. In the same spray bottle mixing equal parts of vinegar and water and using the same procedure as with the lemon.

The smell of vinegar repels ants instantly and suppresses the traces of odor that they usually leave behind to orient themselves.

5-War between ants

Although ants can be very social and cooperative, they can also be at war with other ant colonies, some types of ants live in very cohesive colonies that are home to thousands of members.

These ants battle with those of other colonies for the acquisition of valuable resources such as territory or food, their ability to war is enhanced by their strong loyalty to the colony.

6-Ants have a strange smell

Everything in the ant world is based on teamwork and communication through excretion and odor detection. Ants use formic acid, in fact, formic comes from Formica, which is the name of a genus of ants, very commonly to help them mark trails.

In high concentrations, formic acid, which can be dangerous, releases a vinegar-like scent.

7-Ants use their antennas to sense odor

Previously we mentioned that the world of ants is governed and guided by odors, but, have you ever wondered how ants can smell being insects, it turns out that ants can smell through their antennae, these antennae are prepared to perceive a large number of odors that may be imperceptible to humans.

Through odors and with their antennae, ants are able to trace paths, collect information about their environment, distinguish between friends and enemies and collect a lot of information in their surroundings.

8-Ants are super strong

This is a very well-known fact because ants spend their time carrying objects, on many occasions, these objects are usually much larger in size proportion to the ants.

Ants are probably among the strongest living creatures on Earth. While their strength varies between species, some can lift between 10 and 50 times their own weight.

9-Ants in groups move in a line to forage

Ants’ paths are marked by odors (pheromones). If an ant discovers a source of food, it heads for its nest and spreads a scent trail along the way, thus stimulated, the other ants also set off and follow the existing scent trail.

Once an ant has discovered a lucrative source of food, it marks the way to the food with fragrances. The more attractive the food supply, the more the route is used, and the more intense the signal scent. An ant road is created.

In case the ants’ path is interrupted by some other strong odor, the ants usually lose the scent trail with which they have marked the way for themselves and their comrades, and then they can no longer find the food source.

Not only do they transmit diseases and are very annoying, but they also urinate and defecate while they bite us.

Do mosquitoes poop or pee?

Because they are small, insects such as mosquitoes have a high ratio of surface area to volume and in order to survive in dry environments have developed several adaptations to conserve water.

One of these is their excretory system. Instead of kidneys, insects use a network of tubes called “Malpigio’s tubules”.

These take the excess nitrogen from the digestive protein and turn it into a paste of uric acid. This goes into the rectum, where it mixes with the undigestible part of the insect’s diet.

Any trace of water is reabsorbed by the rectum and what is left is virtually a dry ball.

However, nectar-feeding mosquitoes consume more water than they need and do expel the excess. But it is debatable whether that counts as urine, as they only have one hole to excrete: technically it is more like diarrhea.

Female mosquitoes remove excess water from the blood. While the female mosquito is sucking the blood, she disposes of the excess blood from behind.

It is as if she is squeezing it to get the most nutrients for her eggs.

The National Geographic magazine reports that on average these insects can spend about four minutes sucking on our liquid. They suck so hard that the blood vessels start to collapse.

Some of the blood vessels break and spread the blood around; and when this happens, the mosquito takes the opportunity to drink directly from the well it created.

What do mosquitoes eat?

The mosquitoes normally feed on nectar and fruit juices. For this reason, the mouths of females are different from those of males. This one has a hard proboscis (the beak). There are species that have a preference for certain animals (including man), so they only bite these and not any other.

There are thousands of living species on the planet with blood and some mosquitoes only choose to suck humans? lucky us…

But there are also those that are undemanding and bite everything that has blood.

About 3500 different mosquito species are in existence around the world, and they can be found in practically all locations.

But not all of mosquitoes see blood as a good source of food. While both male and female mosquitoes nourish themselves with plant nectar and sap as part of their nutrition, for egg production, only female mosquitoes need blood.

This blood intake is necessary for the females to continue with the cycle since without it they are not fertile.

Mosquito feeding and excretion process

The proboscis of the mosquito is formed by a kind of lip in the form of a channel, which contains six needles.

Two of them (serrated jaws) have a very sharp serrated structure, which serves to pierce the skin like a saw, without us noticing. Another two act as jaws and have the function of separating the tissues from the skin while the female “works” to find a blood vessel.

Once it has managed to introduce the labro into the bloodstream, the blood fills the insect’s abdomen, which is able to filter the red cells from the plasma and get rid of the water by excreting it, thus leaving more space to store nutrients from the blood in the abdomen, which it needs to produce its eggs.

A further degree of sophistication is the sixth needle, the hypopharynx, which inoculates saliva into the bloodstream. The saliva of the mosquito contains, among other substances, anticoagulants that make the blood flow more easily, and intake can be faster.

These substances are apparently responsible for the itching sensation on the skin that appears after the bite.

Do mosquitoes fart?

Given the fact that the mosquito has a very small excretory system, but it does and can excrete, one could say that the mosquito can fart.

It has been proven that the most common gases in insects are methane and hydrogen, although in the case of the mosquito it would be practically imperceptible and very unlikely that it could accumulate a large volume of gases in its tiny body.

It looks like mosquitoes do not bite at random. They are smarter than they appear because they can recognize different bodies by their smell and choose whether or not to bite based on previous experience.

Research conducted by the University of Washington and published in the specialized website Current Biology explains that the learning of smell can contribute to the biting preferences of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and the changes in that selection.

Experience and tests of the smells of humans and other species have shown that the mosquitoes can quickly learn the smell of particular humans and unique smells from bad experiences.

Mosquitoes can identify an “aggressive mechanical impulse”, which is precisely a blow near them that risks killing them. And they can learn the smell of that attacker, to avoid it later.

For instance, if a mosquito gets close to prey that attacks it by feeling its proximity, it will recognize the scent of the prey and avoid it, going in search of less dangerous food.

Can a mosquito “think”?

If we define thinking as a cerebral action consequent to the environment of a living being and which directly influences its actions and decisions, then we can affirm that the mosquito can think, obviously in proportion to its capacities.

As we mentioned before, a mosquito has the capacity to learn through bad experiences when it is attacked by a person whom it previously identified as a host to feed on, thus avoiding it on future occasions.

It should also be noted that a mosquito has the ability to perform evasive maneuvers in a fraction of a second when attacked by a person.

These processes, which are the result of actions of the interaction of the mosquito and its environment could be classified as “thinking actions” on the part of the mosquito, obviously, this can never be compared with human thinking.

Does a mosquito have a brain?

The mosquitoes are characterized by having a large head, in relation to the rest of the body, with two large compound eyes, and for having modified their rear wings to form a kind of rocker that allows them to stabilize during flight.

This is why flies only have one pair of visible wings, when insects should always have two pairs of them.

At this point, it is essential to make it clear that all insects, including the mosquito, have a brain, and that it is always located in the head.

In addition, the nervous system of insects extends through a ventral chain (located in the part of the body that faces the ground: “belly”) of nerves from the head to the anus (something similar to our spinal cord).

How is the brain of a mosquito?

In spite of what one might think of such a tiny brain like that of the mosquito, it presents an extremely complex and precise activity and functioning, since we must not forget that, thanks to it, insects are able to fly and learn.

Even being so small, it presents an enormous complexity of neuronal connections, which increase exponentially.

If we talk about social insects like bees and ants, it is more, the bigger the group of insects to which they belong, the bigger and more developed is the brain of the individuals that are part of it.

For example, in the case of ants, this growth in complexity and size is so high that the size of the brain in relation to the rest of its body is up to 6%, characterizing it as the animal with the largest brain in relation to the size of its body.

Comparing ants to humans, we would have to have a head up to three times larger to be able to resemble them.

Focusing on the case of mosquitoes, in no way should comparing our brain to theirs be offensive.

Mosquitoes have an amazing ability to dodge large attacks, such as when a person tries to “get rid of it” with a slap.

In fractions of a second they are able to perceive movements and make the best decision to avoid it, and they do this with a brain the size of a grain of salt.

Of course, they are aided by powerful and sophisticated wings, capable of modifying their trajectory up to 90º with just one stroke (and they do up to 200 per second).

This is because, although small, their brain is capable of processing multiple movements perceived by their eyes, in just fractions of a second, thanks to the very high number of neural cells present in it and its large number of connections.

Does mosquito have night vision?

Mosquitoes do not have night vision, in fact, mosquitoes do not have very good vision, due to the arrangement that their eyes have, which has white spaces between each eye and the next, so they can see up to about 10 meters away, and still have many problems differentiating between the shape of objects.

But this deficiency is compensated by the way they perceive things: through heat and smell. Using extremely heat-sensitive receptors located at the tip of their antennas, used to locate blood near the skin.

Anyway, mosquitoes have something much better than normal vision, have you seen the predator movies? (who hasn’t) mosquitoes can see in infrared, much like the vision that a predator used to track down its prey.

They are able to use sight and differentiate changes in light, but at greater distances, their main sense for locating their food (people) is smell.

At distances of between 10 and 50 meters they use the smell, looking for traces of CO2.

Once excited by the smell, they go to the most interesting visually (in a range of between five and 15 meters).

And once at a distance of one meter from a potential target, what finishes them focusing is the body heat.

The sense of smell of the mosquito is so effective, especially in detecting carbon dioxide, that the mosquito has no problem locating a person in the dark at a great distance. This is why you might think that a mosquito can see in the dark, when in fact it is not.

Why Do Mosquitoes Buzz in our Ears?

Once, I came to think that mosquitoes buzzed near my ear on purpose to annoy, I thought this was a sign of an “evil intelligence” in mosquitoes, it really is super annoying when they do, but they don’t do it for this purpose.

As already mentioned, mosquitoes are guided towards people by carbon dioxide, which they can feel up to several tens of meters away.

As humans exhale carbon dioxide through their nose and mouth, mosquitoes are attracted to the face, which almost always leads them to pass near the ear with their annoying buzzing sound.

An ecosystem is made up of inanimate (abiotic) and animate (biotic) components. The entirety of biotic organisms – that is, animals and plants – is also known as a biocenosis or community. The biocenosis colonizes an inanimate habitat, the biotope.

Inanimate components are, for example, the rock, the mineral soil, the air and the climate with its temperature, humidity and precipitation conditions. Biotope and biocenosis therefore together form an ecosystem.

Biotope and biocenosis never appear in isolation, but always in a combined form as an ecosystem. Because the lack of one would make the existence of the other impossible (without living space / living beings no living beings / living space).

Depending on the resulting living conditions, different ecosystems develop, such as a forest, a meadow, a body of water or a moor. In the course of development, an ecological equilibrium is established which is maintained by numerous interconnected material cycles (e.g. oxygen, carbon, water and nutrient cycles).

The living beings in an ecosystem are divided into three classes depending on their function: producers, consumers, and decomposers.

Producer: An organism (plant) that produces organic matter from inorganic matter.

Consumer: An organism (animal) that cannot make organic matter from inorganic matter and eats other organisms to take in organic matter. Does not include fungi or bacteria.

Decomposer: An organism (mainly fungi and bacteria) that decomposes organic matter contained in dead organisms and excreta into inorganic matter.

In this description, “consumer” and “decomposer” are separated, but “decomposer” is not different from “consumer” in the sense that it also incorporates the organic matter contained in the food.

The decomposing animals are considered as organisms in charge of using the residues of other living beings. They are found not only inside living beings, recycling the carbon dioxide that plants will later use for photosynthesis, but also in the interior, by consuming all the matter and energy that can be expelled by the rest of those living beings.

Thus, they use the waste of any other living beings and create a balance in the environment. The whole process begins when an animal or plant dies. Gradually, several decomposing animals appear and are born, which consume what is left of organic or living matter, and then turn it into inorganic.

Ants are considered to be decomposing animals, for various reasons, they provide food for many animals. For example, exist a series of mushrooms that are in charge of infecting the ants, until they die. Taking into account the definition made, the ants can be considered both decomposers and consumers.

Subsequently, the fungi will reproduce on their corpse, until a spore is born (another type of fungus). Furthermore, several birds confuse the red body of some ants with fruits and eat them.

In a different role, the Ants also carry the feces of some birds to other animals for consumption.

The decomposition process of the leaf cutter ant and the fungus

Leaf cutter ants live in tropical-subtropical America between 40 ° north and 44 ° south. it can defoliate large areas of forest in a short time. They carry the leaf pieces into their burrow, where they are crushed into leaf pulp and inoculated with fungi of the genera Leucocoprinus and Leucoagaricus, the mycelium of which the ants feed on.

The ends of the hyphae swell to form “nutrient bodies” that are rich in nutrients and can be easily harvested by the ants. The ants maintain their fungal cultures, in particular, they ensure that they are not overgrown by other fungi. 

The ants protect their cultivated fungi from being attacked by the Escovopsis fungus with especially acting bacteria (Streptomyces, Pseudonocardia, etc.) that they carry with them on their shell.

These bacteria produce candicidins (substances which also act against the human pathogen Candida albicans). Over 200 different species of leaf cutter ants are known, mainly from the Atta and Acromyrmex genera. 

Is an ant a consumer?

Ants are both primary and secondary consumers:

Are primary because they are herbivorous, which means that they eat from the plants and their leaves.

They are also secondary because they can also eat other primary consumers as they are the insects and even they are eaten thus same when dying, for what they are considered as predators.

Is an ant a herbivore?

Because most ants are naturally omnivorous, the various species eat a variety of different foods. The primary food of ants consists of seeds, fungi, nectar, and other insects, but they are capable of eating foods ranging from plant products to animal prey.

While some specialize in sweetened fluids such as nectar and molasses, other ants feed on other bugs and small creatures and seek out dead meat. Some specialize in eating seeds or mushrooms.

Formicates drink from dew, raindrops, and puddles, and sometimes get their moisture from food (like nectar).

Most species of formicates will store their food in their nests, particularly the seed-eating ants.

Other ants eat fungus that grows in their nest. Leaf-cutter ants inhabit warm climates, cutting leaves and taking them to their subterranean nests, and they also feed on the fungus that grows on the leaves.

Are ants scavengers?

Ants are scavengers, they perform in the elimination of scavengers from the natural environment, thus allowing the proper functioning of ecosystems through the recycling of nutrients and energy.

The first animals to scavenge are flies, beetles and ants. Together with many other invertebrates they can eliminate up to 90% of the dead biomass of small vertebrates in a few days.

The ant as a beneficial insect

Thanks to the ants, you have to do less of it than you think. Because ants carry weed seeds away. They also take care of small caterpillars, snails or carrot flies as well as numerous eggs of harmful insects that could otherwise harm your garden.

When small animals die, ants devour them as scavengers. Ants are vital for some plant species that rely on the ants to spread their seeds. These include, for example, borage, lavender, cowslips, violets, and many more.

If these plants settle again thanks to the ants, other plants may benefit from it. Ants are useful in the wild as well as in the cultivated garden and help keep the system going.

Even, as new research reveals, praying mantises are also capable of capturing birds, with the praying mantis being such a powerful predator insect, capable of attacking animals much larger in size than itself, the question arises, can a dangerous mantis attack and injure a human being?

The mantis is carnivorous. It is only committed to eating live insects. These live insects are nutritious and are fresh, which makes them a safe food for the mantis.

The prey depends on the type and size of the mantis, so even though the mantis can attack prey much larger than itself, it is unthinkable to place humans among its attacking prey.

Mantises usually eat flies, moths and small reptiles such as insects and lizards. On the other hand, when it is a large mantis, it can hunt large birds and insects.

Are praying mantises poisonous or dangerous to humans or pets?

This is a fairly common question, if praying mantises are poisonous. But in reality, this is not the case. Praying mantises are not a danger to humans, nor do they bite you.

This applies to both humans and animals. However, the mantis has small, pointed sprouts on its front tentacles with which it can hold insects when hunting. At least it can endanger its food.

Praying mantises do not have a stinger and cannot sting anyone with it. Even pets don’t need to be afraid of this insect. Praying mantises are not poisonous, nor do they bite cats or dogs. But if they can hold on tightly, they certainly know how to defend themselves in small ways. At least until they can successfully escape.

Basic facts about the Praying Mantis

The main reason why praying mantises are considered dangerous is because they are very rare to see. In your own garden or outdoors you rarely encounter these small insects.

Because of this, almost no normal person knows or has ever seen a praying mantis up close. This leads again and again to misjudgments and the mistaken belief that they are animals that would harm a person.

The reason why it is so rare to see a praying mantis is really distressing, the praying mantis is on the red list of endangered animals, The praying mantises are more common in the Mediterranean. They like the warm and dry climate.

Do praying mantis spit or spray acid?

Many kinds of insects among their defense mechanism include spraying with acid, a very strong chemical reaction they store in their bodies to defend themselves from all kinds of predators, especially larger ones.

The Praying Mantis does not spit or spray acid as a defense system, the main defense mechanism of the Praying Mantis is mimicry, its ability to camouflage and hide among plants and trees.

They achieve this thanks to the color of their body which in some cases is identical to the foliage of the plants in the habitat, in others it is very similar to the flowers or the bark of the trees.

Some mantises, besides having a color that helps them to hide, also have a physiognomy that makes it easier for them to blend in.

When the Praying Mantis is confronted and has no option to camouflage or run away then it uses a defensive system based on intimidation, adopting defensive postures that simulate the attack.

A threatened mantis in a defensive position extends its legs and shakes them to appear larger, but is unable to spit or spray with acid, in reality, to attack only has its legs and jaws, lack some chemical element that gives it a greater defensive advantage.

Are praying mantis aggressive?

The misconception that praying mantises are dangerous or poisonous is due to the threatening attitude they project. As soon as you approach the animal, even with your little finger, it adopts a threatening pose.

If you do nothing else, the mantis will run away. But anyone who tries to touch the praying mantis can be pinched by it. Of course, she doesn’t want to hurt you with that, it’s just a defense mechanism.

However, an attack by a praying mantis very rarely happens. The mantis will always be eager to run away and retreat. They are too afraid to bite the fingers or hand that approaches them.

While it may seem threatening to some when the mantis lifts its tentacles, this position has little to do with aggression. It is exclusively a gesture of threat and defense.

In fact, I remember that in my adolescence I practiced several martial arts including Kung Fu, as everyone knows, kung fu adopts animal positions as a fighting style, in kung fu, the mantis style is essentially a defensive rather than offensive style.

Instead of simply touching a praying mantis, come into contact with a little more care. So you can let the mantis climb into the palm of your hand without any problems. Then you can examine it in peace.

There is no need to be afraid, praying mantises are delicate and easily vulnerable. They also have a passive nature.

Although the praying mantis is harmless to humans, it should not be addressed just like that. After all, this stresses the mantis immensely and can even cause it to attack with defensive intent. In addition, praying mantises can die from excessive stress. Therefore, it is not necessarily appropriate to pick up specimens in the wild.

Raptorial front legs of the praying mantis

The front legs are the most distinctive feature of the praying mantis insect.

These limbs have evolved into perfect appendages for hunting, which is why they are one of the parts of the praying mantis most studied by entomologists who call them raptorial legs.

These have some thorns that work as hooks, so when the mantis closes its forearm the prey has no possibility of escape.

How dangerous can a praying mantis be to a human?

When looking at the praying mantis, many people wonder if they can be bitten or perhaps pinched. It is often heard that praying mantises are poisonous. It is also said that the spike in the tentacles causes excruciating pain when placed in the soft tissue of a finger. But is that true and how should you protect yourself if necessary?

As a rule, a praying manti should not be considered dangerous to humans. When they notice the presence of people they tend to disappear soon or camouflage themselves well enough. If there is direct contact, it is unlikely that a praying mantis will bite a person. Defense with the help of fangs is always more likely.

Praying mantises are absolutely non-toxic and have a passive nature. As long as possible, they will try to escape or hide and hope for the best. So you shouldn’t be too afraid of these insects. They cannot and will not become really dangerous to humans. However, this does not always apply to humans.

If you approach these delicate insects carelessly or abruptly, there is a very high risk that you will hurt them. Great caution is required when handling praying mantises.

This is especially true for terrarium owners who want to pick up their mantises. Even tame animals are not objects that should be passed on completely to the circle of friends.

Do praying mantis bites hurt?

If it does “snap”, a soft child’s finger can bleed a little. In adults, however, the skin is already too thick for this. You usually only feel a small tweak. And no, no poison is pumped into your own bloodstream. Nevertheless, you should thoroughly disinfect the area. Safe is safe after all.

How tall is a full-grown praying mantis?

An adult praying mantis is approximately six to seven centimeters in height. Certainly, the female is bigger than the male, both in length and in body size. Males are slimmer and thinner than females. Then there are the long antennae and she can stretch her tentacles.

Do praying mantis jump?

The Praying Mantis has a very special jump that it uses frequently while hunting, praying mantises jump exactly to their destination with rotating limbs.

Before they take off, the insects take a step back and pull their abdomen in so that the tip points forward. When jumping, they gain momentum by moving their abdomen up and down, rotating their front legs counter-clockwise, and pushing themselves off the ground with their hind legs.

The focus of the insect’s body is always on its elongated body axis. So they reach an initial speed of over one meter per second. Once in the air, the hind legs also begin to rotate, but unlike the front legs, clockwise. The abdomen also rotates slowly clockwise at first, but later changes its direction.