Leaf cutter ants are a group of ants that belong to the genus Atta. There are 47 species of leaf cutter ants. They are found in the United States and South America. Leaf cutter ants make one of the most complex societies on earth—second only to human’s society.
Leaf Cutter Ants 🐜Facts for Kids
Leaf cutter ants live in the southern states of the United States, Mexico, and Central America. They are also found in many states of South America.
They are pretty hard workers in that can carry load 20 times the size of their own.
True to its name the leaf cutter ant likes to consume grasses, flowers, and leaves.
The ant’s mounds measures up to 98 feet in width with a radius averaging at 260 feet. It contains approximately 8 million ants.
Female ants take a nuptia
l flight and each female mate with multiple males. When a female loses her wings she then comes to the ground to form a colony. The female then becomes the queen.
The smallest of the leaf cutter ants are called minims. They grow up to 1 mm in length. Then comes the minors which are slightly bigger than minims. They can grow 1.8 – 2.4 mm in length. Minors make the first line of defense against predators.
General foraging ants are called mediae. They are supposed to bring leaves to the nest.
The largest of the leaf cutter ants are called majors. Majors are the soldier ants that defend the ant’s colony from potential predators.
