Daily Nature Fix: Leaf-cutter Ants! (Original Photos)

Today's daily nature tidbit involves one of my favorite insects: ants. Not just any ants though, these are leaf-cutter ants (Atta cephalotes) of Costa Rica! There were a few things I wanted to see on this trip and leaf cutters were right near the top. I'm a bug guy.  I actually have a colony of carpenter ants that I've had for over a year now.  As cool as they are, they don't hold a candle to this tropical species.

It was incredibly to see the well-organized stream of these tiny animals moving too and fro from their host tree; which looked like some type of fig maybe?  10's of thousands of them.  Maybe even hundreds of thousands! They don't actually eat the leaves either.  They take the leaf clippings into special chambers in their nest and put them in a heap where they eventually grow a fungus.  THAT'S what the colony eats... the fungus.  They freaking farm.  These ants know how to farm! 

They also keep their route clear, as you can see in this photo (kind of).  If a leaf or small stick fall into the river of ants, workers quickly grab the debris and move it aside.  They maintain their roads better that the state does here in Pennsylvania.  I'm so happy I got to see these guys in action.  I spent well over an hour just watching them, and I could have stayed a lot longer.

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Thanks for reading!

- Adam