Unearthing the World's Hidden Megalopolis

Ants, the most numerous and overlooked animal group on Earth, may have created the largest civilization right under our feet. With roughly 12,000 species, ants live in socially complex colonies and exhibit remarkable capabilities as a social group. They make up one-third of the animal biomass in the Amazon rainforest and have a caste system with specialized roles. Ants are farmers, protectors, builders, and even engage in behaviors like necrophoresis. They have no government or direct leadership, yet have persisted longer and more successfully than many other species. Ants may be the pioneers of one of the greatest civilizations on Earth.