- Ants can distinguish between sour, sweet, bitter and salty tastes.
- They have two kinds of stomachs: a traditional stomach and a crop. The food an ant eats for itself goes to the stomach. Food it shares with others is stored in the crop. The ant spits up this food to feed other ants and larvae. (Hungry ants can stroke each other or tap antennae to ask for food.)
- Some species of ants have compound eyes and well-developed vision, while others have simple eyes that can distinguish only between light and dark. More unfortunate species are blind.
- The ant’s most highly developed sense is its sense of smell. Their abdominal glands secrete various pheromones that cause specific reactions from other individuals. Pheromones act as alarms, sex attractants and trail markers; and they help individuals recognize each other.
- Tropical rain forests are bursting with insect life. If all animals in the Amazon rain forest were weighed, many scientists think ants and termites would consist of one-third of that weight.
- Ants vary in length from about 1/16 inch to almost 2 inches. Most species are red, black, brown or yellow, and some are green or metallic blue.
Source: Animal Planet
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