Atta ants

Atta ant is one of the most mysterious creatures on the planet, forcing scientists to puzzle, be surprised, be enthusiastic, perplexed. The family lives deep underground, creating numerous megacities. The city is ruled by a uterus placed by relatives in a bunker, resembling concrete in density.

Insects from birth are blind, but this does not prevent them from actively communicating, working together, keeping an ant hill clean, creating unique system of public liferelationship.

Housing

The female atta gives rise to a new family that lives about 20 years. She herself is placed in a special bunker with thick strong walls, reaching the size of a coconut. There are several small holes that fulfill each role - removing excrement, feeding food, laying eggs, and entering midwives.

Uterus It is completely isolated from society. Her main role is the reproduction of offspring, which she has been doing all her life for about 20 years. Several females can live - one main, a couple of young.

The housing of the other atta ants is numerous passages, exits, chambers, warehouses, burials and much more. All this is located at a depth of 6 m. In diameter of 15 m.

Amazing creatures

It makes scientists enthusiastic about the ability of the uterus and all atta ants to teleport in dangerous situations. This is the main topic of debate, disagreement among scientists.

If the bunker is damaged, the uterus of the atta ant leaves inexplicably leaves anthillIt turns out at a distance of several tens of meters from the former home. The female is able to transmit signals to relatives for a long distance - to 5 km, to restore a bunker similar to the previous structure.

Interesting!

Repeatedly conducted experiments, trying to explain the instantaneous movement of the uterus atta. Damaged the bunker, a unique pattern was applied to the back of the uterus. After a while, the insect was detected after a few meters. A more amazing experiment was conducted in the laboratory. They created the conditions for the bunker, covered with a glass lid with several holes. The ant remained in place. As soon as the glass was completely closed, threatening the life of the insect, the uterus inexplicably disappeared.

Experiments were conducted, during which they put obstacles in the way of ants that returned with prey in the studied territory. When difficulties arose, it was not known where a group of "police" ants appeared from, cleared the way.

Appearance

And though atta are not the largest ants, they build the largest anthills in the world, differ from the others in the absence of vision. In the world there are about 15 varieties of ant atta. They live in tropical countries, common in America.

Atta ants do not differ in structure from other species. But amazing fact concerns the uterus itself. Body size is much larger than relatives, weight exceeds 700 times. Reddish creatures resemble ours black antsbut spikes are placed throughout the upper body. Photo representative can be seen below.

Breeding

Young flying ant female leaves the family, takes off in the air in search of the male. Mating season lasts several weeks.After that, the young male dies, the female finds a favorable place, buries deep in the ground, lays eggs.

The first larvae are always working ants. They are taken for the construction of an anthill. Over time, the uterus reaches unrealistic sizes, increasing the number of reproducible eggs. Fertilized once, it gives life to new offspring the entire period, how much lives- about 20 years.

Nutrition

Atta ants are famous for farming. In special greenhouses, they grow Basidiomycota mushrooms. A favorable environment for them is created from chewed leaves. The resulting mass after interaction with fungi is food for adult ants, larvae.

Sheets of ants are cut with powerful sharp jaws. Whole plates are dragged into the anthill, chewing is done by common forces, which reminds leaf cutter ants. A large number of insects cause significant damage to agriculture, wildlife.

Atta ants are so interesting creatures that they are kept even at home, give a lot of money for the purchase.