The philosophy of life of ants

Author: Jiang Lexiong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-05-01
Features: Ants are one of the most widely distributed and numerous organisms on Earth. Except for a few areas like the Arctic and Antarctica, ants are almost found in every corner of the world. The population density of ants is renowned worldwide; a single ant occupies less space than one millionth of a human body, yet the territory they control is comparable to that of humans. In daily life, whether you rest under any tree or walk along a mountain trail, you will notice their busy traces. If you take the time to observe carefully, you might even see ants marching back and forth around their nests in columns several dozen meters long, such as disciplined large armies seen from low-flying planes as fast-moving traffic in a city. It is well-known that ants are social insects, and when working collectively, they are highly organized, coordinated, and. Dr. Marston, a famous British entomologist, once conducted an experiment: he divided a dead grasshopper into three parts, with the second part being twice as heavy as the first, and the third part twice as heavy as the second. He placed each part in different locations within the ant nest. When the ants discovered the food, they returned to the nest to inform their companions to carry it. After about 40 minutes, ants from all parts arrived at the scene. Marston recorded the number of ants on each part of the grasshopper: 28, 44, and 89 ants, respectively. Clearly, the scout ants had estimated the weight and volume of each part of the food, and the number of ants carrying the food was proportional to its weight. The ability of ants to make such precise calculations demonstrates their remarkable intelligence. In the social life of ants, there are many similarities to human society. Both have unique social structures, strict social divisions of labor, and a spirit of striving for success. There are many advantages in ants that deserve to be well-learned and emulated by humans. It can be said that an ant colony is an independent kingdom. It is well-organized and has clear divisions of labor. Among its members, there is mutual cooperation, and each ant has a specific role—none are idle or useless. In the tiny ant kingdom, the level of division of labor is astonishing. For example, the queen ant's main duties are to lay eggs, reproduce offspring, and oversee the entire family. She is the soul of the colony; without her, regardless of how large the number of worker and soldier ants may be, the colony would quickly perish. Therefore, as long as the queen ant exists, the colony will exist. For instance, the male ants' primary role is to mate with the queen. After mating, the male ants die. However, during mating season, they still display a keen eagerness to compete for the opportunity to mate with the queen. As for the worker and soldier ants, who lack reproductive abilities, they are truly the backbone and elite of the colony. They are busy all day long, building nests, gathering food, defending their home, and caring for larvae, eggs, and the queen. All the work within the nest is done by worker ants. They go out to forage, collect various foods, and bring them back to the nest; they care for larvae, eggs, and pupae; they attend to the queen's needs, bathing her, feeding her, and