Ants
Ants
Formicidae
Insecta
COMMON

Stats

Lifespan
Weeks to 30 yrs
Size
Small
Diet
Omnivore
Activity
Cathemeral
Social
Colony
Biome
Forests and grasslands
Range
Worldwide
Movement
Walking
Breeding
Egg-laying
Defense
Venom
Status
Common

About

Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period. More than 13,800 of an estimated total of 22,000 species have been described.

Life cycle

  1. 1.
    egg
    A small egg is laid on or near the larval food source and hatches within days or weeks.
  2. 2.
    juvenile
    An immature insect feeds and molts, growing through successive instars.
  3. 3.
    subadult
    A near-adult insect has wing buds or near-mature form, one molt away from full size.
  4. 4.
    adult
    Fully grown, with full wings and adult coloration.

Learn more

Taxonomy

Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Arthropoda
Class
Insecta
Order
Hymenoptera
Family
Formicidae