Ants are not just tiny workers, they are fascinating creatures with complex societies. Have you ever wondered where the largest anthill in Russia is located? Or how a worker ant spends its day? These caring insects have a lot to reveal.

1. There are over 13,000 species of ants on Earth.
2. Elderly ants, no longer able to work, are not abandoned but cared for and fed by others in their colony.
3. Ants do not have ears.
4. Birds often “bathe“ in anthills so ants can remove tiny parasites from their skin and feathers.
5. An ant can remember its way back to the anthill for more than five days.
6. A large ant colony can gather up to 8 million harmful insects in a year.
7. Ants have an exoskeleton, which means their skeleton is on the outside.
8. There are several monuments dedicated to the industrious ant worldwide, including in the USA, Italy, Korea, Russia, UAE, and Ukraine.
9. Ants release special alarm pheromones when in danger to call for help.
10. Each ant’s leg has 9 joints and ends with two claws.
11. Ants can vary in size from 1 mm to 5 cm.
12. It would take 10 million ants to move a human.
13. Young worker ants start as nannies, then become builders, and eventually foragers.
14. Bulldog ants in Australia can jump 30 cm in length.
15. Large anthills can have multiple queens.
16. An ant’s body is divided into three parts: head, thorax, and abdomen.
17. Ants best distinguish blue and violet colors.
18. The largest anthill in Russia is in the Tomsk region, measuring 2.5 meters in height and over 5 meters in diameter.
19. Ants can see objects up to 4 cm away.
20. Some ant species can survive underwater for four days.
21. Worker ants take minute-long naps up to 250 times a day to avoid exhaustion.
22. An ant’s jaws can snap shut at speeds of up to 230 km/h.
23. Ants have pads on their feet that secrete a sticky substance to prevent slipping.
24. The total length of all trails inside an anthill is about 7,000 meters.
25. Ants have two stomachs, one for personal use and another communal one for storing food for others.
26. Depending on the species, a queen ant can lay between 400 and 50 million eggs in a year.
27. An ant can position its legs at such angles that it can carry a load 30 times its own weight.
28. Ants breathe through tiny spiracles, as they do not have lungs.
29. Each ant family has a distinct scent, allowing them to immediately identify outsiders.
30. Worker ants live up to 5 years, while the queen can live up to 30 years, making her the longest-lived insect.
31. Ants inhabit every corner of the planet, except for the Arctic and Antarctic.
32. Some ant species enslave other ants, forcing them to work for their colony.
33. Ants are among the smartest insects, with brains consisting of 250,000 cells despite their small size.
34. Ants can form “living bridges“ with their bodies to cross water or vegetation barriers.
35. Ants are capable of interactive learning, a trait shared only with mammals.
36. The ant queen exclusively lays eggs, while the worker ants care for them.

These facts highlight the incredible nature of ants, showcasing their diverse abilities and complex social structures.