Wikipedia:Today's featured article/January 21, 2009



Ants are social insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related families of wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from wasp-like ancestors in the mid-Cretaceous period between 110 and 130 million years ago and diversified after the rise of flowering plants. Today, more than 12,000 species are classified with upper estimates of about 14,000 species. They are easily identified by their elbowed antennae and a distinctive node-like structure that forms a slender waist. Ants form colonies that range in size from a few tens of predatory individuals living in small natural cavities to highly organised colonies which may occupy large territories and consist of millions of individuals that are mostly sterile females forming castes of workers, soldiers, or other specialised groups. Ant colonies also have some fertile males called drones and one or more fertile females called queens. Ants have colonised almost every landmass on Earth. Ants dominate most ecosystems, and form 15–20% of the terrestrial animal biomass. Their success has been attributed to their social organisation, ability to modify their habitats, tap resources and defend themselves. (more...)

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