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Ant

Ants are social insects of the family Formicidae ( ), and along with the related wasps and bees, they 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 12,500 species are classified with upper estimates of about 22,000 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 dozen predatory individuals living in small natural cavities to highly organised colonies which may occupy large territories and consist of millions of individuals. These larger colonies consist mostly of sterile wingless females forming castes of workers, soldiers, or other specialised groups. Nearly all ant colonies also have some fertile males called drones and one or more fertile females called queens. The colonies are sometimes described as superorganisms because the ants appear to operate as a unified entity, collectively working together to support the colony.