"There is unbelievable variation in the way they can make a living," says Ross. Slave-maker ants raid other colonies and take their workers as prisoners. Leaf-cutter ants chew leaves into mulch, which ...

Biologist and videographer Mark Moffett's footage of ants gets up close and personal with the leaf-cutter species of the insect Explore Subscribe Newsletters Content Licensing Our Partners Terms ...

This story appears in the May 2011 issue of National Geographic magazine. If aliens ever do land on Earth, don’t get all huffy if their greeting turns out to be: "Take me to your ant." That ant ...

The ant scurries along on six nimble legs. It catches up to its peers, a line of antennaed bugs roaming the winding surface of a tree, perpetually hunting for food. While doing so, each unknowingly ...

Notwithstanding their specialized herbivorous diet, leaf-cutting ants opportunistically exploit temporary resources such as insect or vertebrate carcasses. We report on the first case of attine ...

Ants are common insects, but they have some unique capabilities—including their legendary communication skills that allow their colonies to function as superorganisms. Invasive ant species are ...

Leaf and grass cutter ants, as their names suggest, use leaf and grass cuttings to cultivate a unique fungus within their nest. Each piece is chewed up and mixed with the fungus; the fungus is ...

Biologist and videographer Mark Moffett's footage of ants gets up close and personal with the leaf-cutter species of the insect What Is an Aurora? (03:13) National Treasure: The Fearsome Science ...