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Biting the bullet when cutting limbs7/26/2023 ![]() ![]() Minor workers are smaller and perform general labor such as taking care of the young, building and cleaning the nest, and gathering food. However, some ants have different sizes of workers that serve different roles. In most species, all workers are roughly the same size. Worker ants perform all sorts of jobs for their colony. Hidden by the mandibles is the mouth, which ants use not only to eat, but also to clean themselves and nestmates.Īnt heads, especially the eyes and mandibles, come in all shapes and sizes and provide clues to the kinds of food ants eat and the different lifestyles they live. Mandibles can also be used for biting, crushing, cutting, digging, fighting, and hunting. Ants don’t have grasping forelegs, so they use their mandibles like human hands to hold and carry things. The mandibles are an ant’s most important tool. Some ants also have three simple eyes called ocelli that detect light. Other ants that live in dark places have reduced eyes and may even be blind. Ants that use vision to hunt for prey have big compound eyes. Their compound eyes, like the eyes of most insects, can contain hundreds of lenses that combine to form a single image in the ant’s brain. Each antenna is bent in the middle like the elbow of a human arm – this is another unique feature of ants. If you watch an ant’s head, the antennae are always moving back and forth, touching, tasting, and smelling everything within reach. This is very important for their survival and the life of the colony. Like you and me, ants use their heads to sense information about the world around them. You may have noticed we didn’t talk about ant heads. The petiole (and post-petiole, when present) provides a flexible junction, allowing the ant to bend its gaster forward to sting or spray.įinally, the entire body of an ant is covered by a hard exoskeleton that provides support, protection, and a barrier against water loss. ![]() This is one body part that distinguishes ants from other insects. ![]() In between the mesosoma and the gaster is the petiole (and in some ants, the post-petiole). Others have a tiny opening at the tip of their gaster through which they spray acid to stun prey or defend themselves. Some ants have a sting, which is used to inject venom into enemies. The gaster contains the ant’s heart, digestive system, and chemical weaponry. At the end of each leg is a hooked claw that is used to climb and hang on to things. The legs are designed for running – ants can run very fast for their size. The ant’s second body segment, the mesosoma, is packed full with muscles that power its three pairs of legs. Now that you can see how ants are put together and what each part is named, let’s learn what each part does and what is inside of them. Think you know all these parts? Try our ant anatomy activity. We have pointed a few of them out using an asterisk ( * ) symbol. All ants may look the same to you, but if you look closely at workers from different ant species, you may see some differences. ![]()
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