c/todayilearned · by Madbrad200@lemmy.world · 3y

TIL an ant mega-colony exists across 3 continents and is thought to contain billions of ants, all of which recognise each other to be from the same colony. The largest part of the colony is in Europe

http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8127000/8127519.stm

108 points · 5 comments · view on lemmy.world

5 Comments

Argentine ants living in vast numbers across Europe, the US and Japan belong to the same inter-related colony, and will refuse to fight one another.

The colony may be the largest of its type ever known for any insect species, and could rival humans in the scale of its world domination.

What's more, people are unwittingly helping the mega-colony stick together.

Argentine ants (Linepithema humile) were once native to South America. But people have unintentionally introduced the ants to all continents except Antarctica.

Akip@feddit.de · 7 pts · 3y

HTTPS archive link https://archive.is/63vN0

Beep22@kbin.social · 5 pts · 3y (1 reply)

Every year the ants attack my house. Every year I fight them off. I didn’t realise how hilariously outnumbered I am. I feel … itchy.

NakariLexfortaine@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 3y

Ants and fungi are inevitable, undefeatable.

People talk about roaches being the next species to thrive after we fuck ourselves. That will be a short-lived empire.

They will fall before the Mushroom Warriors, riding upon their giant ants without a Buick in sight to crush them.

infamousbelgian@waste-of.space · 2 pts · 3y

And they all decide to visit my house in summertime.