Ant

Natural Habitat

Highly adaptable, found in nearly all terrestrial environments, including forests, deserts, urban areas, and grasslands. Nests are often underground, in wood, or under rocks.

Diet & Feeding

Omnivorous; diet varies greatly by species but often includes nectar, seeds, fungi, other insects (both living and dead), and human food scraps. Some ants are predatory, while others are scavengers or cultivate fungi.

Behavior Patterns

Ants are social insects living in colonies that can range from a few dozen to millions of individuals. They exhibit complex social structures with a queen, workers, and males, and engage in tasks like foraging, nest building, and caring for young. They communicate through chemical signals (pheromones) and tactile interactions.

Risks & Benefits

Benefits include aeration of soil, seed dispersal, and predation on pest insects, making them important to ecosystem health. Risks to humans can include nuisance infestations in homes, destruction of property (e.g., carpenter ants), and painful or allergic reactions to stings/bites from certain species (e.g., fire ants).

Identified on: 9/18/2025