Look at Ants

Part One · Meet the Ant

An ant is a small insect. It has six legs and three body parts. You can find ants almost all over the world.

There are more than twelve thousand kinds of ants. Some ants are red, and some are black or green.

An ant is very strong for its size. It can lift many times its own weight. That is like a kid lifting a small car!

An ant does not have ears like ours. It uses two feelers on its head. The feelers help it smell and touch.

An ant does not have a nose. It breathes through tiny holes along its sides.

An ant has two tummies. One is for its own food. The other holds food to share with the colony.

Ants lived on Earth long before people did. They shared the world with the dinosaurs.

Part Two · Life in the Nest

Ants live in big groups called colonies. A colony can hold a few ants. Some hold millions!

Every colony has a queen. The queen lays all of the eggs. She can live for many years.

Most ants in a colony are workers. They are all girls! They find food and dig the nest.

A worker finds a crumb and walks home. She leaves a smell trail on the ground. Other ants follow the trail to the food.

That is why ants walk in a line. Each ant smells the trail. Each one follows the ant ahead.

Leafcutter ants cut up leaves. They do not eat the leaves. They carry them home to grow a food garden.

Next time you see ants in a line, look closely. Each tiny ant is doing an important job.