a group of scientists found an intricate underground ant kingdom in Brazil, where millions of ants once lived. The abandoned underground kingdom is a maze of channels, auxiliary roads and fungus gardens. It is believed to be one of the largest ant nests in the world. No one knows when the South American leafcutter ants who built this underground kingdom left, and what factors led to its demise.
During the study, experts poured 10 metric tons of concrete into the hole in the ground, which served as the air conditioning pipe of ant kingdom. After setting, the tunnel of Ant Kingdom appeared. It took them 10 days to pour concrete into the maze like tunnel. The tunnels occupy 500 square feet of space and extend 26 feet underground. A month later, scientists began to dig for the incredible ant kingdom. They say the ant kingdom is comparable to the great wall of China.
ant communities are called "super individuals" because of the way their members cooperate with each other. They make great efforts to build a huge home. In the process of construction, all ants carry the soil particles back again and again. The weight is several times of the weight, and they carry them far away. The ant builders transported about 40 metric tons of soil to build the underground labyrinth.
the documentary "the mysterious power of nature" records the whole excavation process, and Bert holderborough of the University of Arizona also appears in the documentary. The design of this underground kingdom is very clever, which can provide ideal ventilation and minimize the transportation route. The main room of ant city is connected by a large passage, and there is an auxiliary road beside it. From here, the passageway begins to branch, leading to many garbage dumps and fungus gardens. Ants use the collected plants to feed fungi. Leaf cutting ants can build a similar nest in acorn size space. Under the leadership of the queen, they work together to build a large nest all over the Americas.
The social complexity of leaf cutting ants is second only to that of human beings. A queen can receive 300 million sperm from a male ant and create her own colony. The size of their children determines their function and future castle. They are responsible for building ant nests and collecting plants. The collected plants are used to raise fungi and then feed young.
ants that deal with garbage tend to be older or more disposable members. They put the garbage in the dump and then transport it out of the nest. They are also responsible for removing dangerous parasites such as the South American Saint fly from the nest. Saint flies lay their eggs in the crevices of workers' heads, which is a threat to the safety of ants' nests. The larger ants, known as "soldier ants," are responsible for fighting these enemies and will form an army to accomplish this mission. Like the human army, soldier ants sometimes participate in construction projects, such as digging tunnels.