I just read this article about leaf cutter ants. It's really fascinating how the foraging ants can know how large to cut off leaf parts so they are a good size for the ants working inside the nest. According to the article, forager ants can carry seven times their body weight but they are carrying less then that because the ants inside the colony could process smaller sized leaf chunks faster than the largest ones. Once the leaf bits are inside the nest, the ants tear it up and use it to feed the fungi they eat. The different kind of fungi depends on the nest of ants but all the fungi comes from the Lepiotaceae family.
Ok, some so background on these ants so you'll know what I'm babbling about. They are found in the warmer regions of Central and South America such as the rain forests. They live in huge colonies with different ants assigned to different jobs just like bees. The ants designated to forage go out and bite off parts of leaves and bring them back to the nest to feed the fungi which the ants eat. They are one of the few species of bugs which farm. Ant Farmers.
Facts of Australia: (in case this seems random, one of the scientists mentioned in the article was from Australia)
- it is home to the largest number of venomous snakes in the world
- it has been rumored that the first European settlers of Australia drank more alcohol per person than any other community in the history of mankind
- it is the driest inhabited continent besides Antarctica
- average life expectancy is 80.73 years, 77.86 for males and 83.75 for females (2008 est.)
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