Army Ants: Nature's Ultimate Social Hunters

Army ants are nature's ultimate social hunters, marching in groups by the thousands to overwhelm large solitary invertebrates and nests of termites, wasps, and other ants. They kill and dismember their prey and carry it back to their nest, where their hungry brood devours it. They are the ultimate social hunters, demonstrating the most fascinating collective behavior. They build living nests, called bivouacs, using their bodies to protect the queen and larvae.

Format: Hardback
Length: 384 pages
Publication date: 30 October 2020
Publisher: Harvard University Press

A captivating exploration of army ants, nature's preeminent social hunters, unfolds in this richly illustrated book. Swarm raids, one of nature's grand spectacles, take place in tropical rainforests worldwide, where thousands of army ants march in groups to overwhelm large solitary invertebrates, including nests of termites, wasps, and other ants. These relentless hunters kill and dismember their prey, carrying it back to their nests, where their hungry brood devours it.

Army ants are the ultimate social hunters, showcasing the most fascinating collective behavior. In Army Ants, we delve into the intricate ways in which these insects play a crucial role in promoting and sustaining the biodiversity of tropical ecosystems. The ants help keep prey communities in check, while also providing nutrition for other animals. Many species rely on army ants for survival, including social parasites, swarm-following birds, and flies.

While their hunting behavior and the rules that govern it are undeniably impressive, army ants exhibit collective behavior in other remarkable ways. They build living nests, known as bivouacs, using their bodies to protect the queen and larvae. The ants can even construct bridges over open space or obstacles by linking to one another using their feet. These awe-inspiring feats occur without central coordination, resulting from local interactions—self-organization that benefits the society as a whole.

Through observations, stories, and stunning images, Daniel Kronauer brings these fascinating creatures to life. Army ants may be small, but their collective intelligence and impact on their environment are nothing short of extraordinary.

Weight: 1238g
Dimension: 215 x 243 x 29 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780674241558