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Small, Smart, and Strong—Ants
Man has long
considered the ant to be a hardworking, well-organized
creature. This social insect lives in an ordered colony
that may contain millions of ___1___. There are currently
11,880 known species of ants in the world, many of ___2___
share common characteristics. Ants have three body
segments, six legs, and can lift ___3___ 20 times their
body weight. A colony of 40,000 of these creatures has
the same amount of brain cells ___4___ a single human
brain. Don't let their size fool you, though. It is
believed that ant brains have the processing power of
some of the computers of the early 1980s.
Like humans, ants have specific jobs to do within
society. Each colony may have one or more queens whose
job is to ___5___ eggs. The sterile worker ants care for
the young, hunt for food, and protect the colony from
unwanted visitors. This is important ___6___ one species
might attempt to steal the pupae of another species.
Most humans seem to tolerate ants. However, in 2004,
fire ants made their way to Taiwan and many people were
___7___ of being
bitten. After all, the sting of this foreign species
could cause a deadly allergic reaction. Nevertheless,
ants are usually harmless organisms whose constant
activity should motivate us to get off the sofa and work
a little harder. |
