According to fossil evidence ants are thought to have originated in the Cretaceous period between 140 and 66 million years ago. The earliest known ant fossils belong to the genus Sphecomyrma which was described by Swedish entomologist Carl Linnaeus in 1758.
Sphecomyrma was a primitive ant thought to be related to the modern-day bullhorn acacia ants. These ants are known to have a symbiotic relationship with the acacia tree in which the ants live in the hollow thorns of the tree and protect it from herbivores in exchange for food.
The Sphecomyrma fossils were found in amber which is thought to be how they were preserved for millions of years. Amber is a type of fossilized tree resin and it is thought that the Sphecomyrma ants were trapped in the resin while they were foraging for food.
Although the Sphecomyrma fossils are the oldest known ant fossils they are not the only ones. A number of other ant genera have been found in amber including Nephopteryx Haidomyrmex and Myrmecites. These fossils date back to the Early Cretaceous period between 100 and 140 million years ago.
It is interesting to note that all of the known ant fossils come from the Northern Hemisphere. This is thought to be because the climate was more conducive to the preservation of amber in the North than in the South.
The first ant fossils to be found in the Southern Hemisphere were discovered in 2009 in New Zealand. These fossils belonged to the genus Kukenonden and they were thought to be around 55 million years old.
Although Kukenonden is the only ant genus to have been found in the Southern Hemisphere it is thought that there are many more to be discovered. With the increasing number of ant fossils being found it is clear that these insects have a long and rich history.
How long have ants been around?
Answer: Approximately 100 million years.
How many ants are there in the world?
Answer: There are an estimated 10000 trillion ants alive on Earth at any given time.
What do ants eat?
Answer: Ants are omnivorous meaning they will eat both plants and other animals.
What is the average lifespan of an ant?
Answer: The average lifespan of an ant is about 30 days.
Do all ants live in colonies?
Answer: Yes all ants live in colonies.
How many ants are in a colony?
Answer: The average ant colony has about 500000 ants.
What is the largest ant colony ever found?
Answer: The largest ant colony ever found was in Argentina and contained aboutpheus ants.
How far can an ant travel in one day?
Answer: An ant can travel up to 12 miles in one day.
How do ants communicate?
Answer: Ants communicate through a process called pheromone trails.
What is the queen ant’s role in the colony?
Answer: The queen ant’s role is to lay eggs and care for the young.
How long does it take for an ant to mature?
Answer: It takes an ant about two to three weeks to mature.
How do ants reproduce?
Answer: Ants reproduce through a process called parthenogenesis.
What is the purpose of an ant’s stinger?
Answer: An ant’s stinger is used for self-defense and to kill prey.
Do all ants sting?
Answer: No not all ants sting.
What do ants use their stinger for?
Answer: Some ants use their stinger to inject formic acid into their prey to kill them.
