World_of_Animals_Issue_46_2017

Leaf-cutter ants
While many animals are often praised for their hunting and
food gathering abilities, it is easy to overlook the millions of ants
foraging on the forest floor for food to ensure the survival of their
colony. Among these tiny critters is a particular tribe that is highly
adapted for foraging: leaf-cutter ants.
Native only to Central and South America, living among
the tropical rainforests, the Attini tribe, otherwise known as
leaf-cutter or fungus-growing ants, features two genera: Atta
and Acromyrmex. These closely related genera are easily
distinguished; Acromyrmex have four pairs of spines on their
back and a rough exoskeleton, while Atta have three pairs and a
smooth exoskeleton. But both possess the amazing ability to cut
and carry leaves 50 times their body weight, making them one
of the strongest creatures on Earth in terms of their power to
weight ratio.
Leaf-cutter ants are rusty in colour and between two and
22 millimetres (0.07 and 0.8 inches) in length, with their size
determining their role within the colony. They have compound
eyes and fairly poor vision, instead using their extendable and
retractable antennae to investigate any objects they come across.
While small in size, a leaf-cutter ant’s brain is highly complex and
allows these tiny critters to adapt and react to their surroundings.
They have an exceptional memory and can remember the smell
of their colony, its location and where they have placed objects.
A gland in their head also produces alarm chemicals, which
alert nearby ants to danger and sends them into battle mode,
Strong scent
trails left by ants
returning to the
colony from a
good foraging site
attract other ants
to the plant
“Carrying leaves 50 times their body weight, they are one of the
strongest creatures on Earth in terms of power to weight ratio”
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