Interesting Facts About Ant Supercolonies
By: NDTVNewsDesk
Image: Pexels
Ant supercolonies are exceptionally large ant colonies characterised by multiple interconnected nests.
Image: Pexels
Supercolonies can have multiple queens within their nests, allowing for rapid and extensive colony growth.
Image: Pexels
These supercolonies function as a single, cooperative unit, with workers freely moving between nests.
Image: Pexels
The workers exhibit no aggression towards each other within the colony.
Image: Pexels
They can grow to contain millions of individuals and can be found on multiple continents.
Image: Pexels
Some ant species, like the Argentine ant, form invasive supercolonies that can dominate and displace native ant populations.
Image: Pexels
Individuals within a supercolony cooperate in tasks like foraging and brood care, regardless of the specific nest they originated from.
Image: Pexels
Supercolonies can arise through various mechanisms, including budding and jump dispersal.
Image: Pexels
ndtv.com