When you see some ants crawling around and tiny ant holes on the ground, can you imagine how large their underground colonies really are? Despite knowing that ants are highly organized, social creatures, often living in colonies of hundreds or thousands, it can still be challenging to fathom the living space of ants.
From a ground-level perspective, it looked like this.
In 2012, a group of scientists in Brazil stumbled upon an abandoned anthill. At first glance, these anthills didn't seem particularly large from a human standpoint. However, in their quest to unveil the mysteries of the ant nest, researchers decided to inject concrete into the tunnels from the surface of the anthill, filling the passages of this abandoned nest, and then excavate it.
The surface of a Brazilian ant nest looks like this.
It might sound simple, but in reality, researchers spent a whopping 10 days filling the entire tunnel, using up 10 tons of concrete. This goes to show that what seems like an unassuming ant nest is actually a "super metropolis."
This is an ant city. | Reference 1
After 10 days of preparation, researchers finally began excavation. Due to the massive scale of the project, excavators were utilized this time, removing a total of 40 tons of soil. Only after this extensive process, the enormous ant maze was truly revealed before our eyes.
Digging an ant nest turns out to be quite an engineering feat. | Reference 1
It wasn't until scientists unearthed it that they realized just how remarkable this ant colony was. Not only was it incredibly large, extending about 8 meters deep underground, but its structure was remarkably intricate.
The ant metropolis featured a network of meticulously designed tunnels, interconnecting circular chambers via a complex system of "highways," facilitating efficient transportation. There were also various "side streets" linking the ants' cultivated "fungus gardens" and garbage dumps. Some designs even ensured excellent ventilation throughout the entire underground nest.
Rooms and "Roads" in an Ant City | Reference 1
It's easy to imagine that the once-abandoned ant metropolis once served various complex functions. Apart from using collective intelligence to dig tunnels, there was also a need to timely remove garbage from the nest and transport food within the maze-like rooms.
Turning abandoned ant nests into art has even become a growing trend in collecting. Anthill Art is one such art organization that injects non-toxic zinc or aluminum into abandoned ant colonies to create unique artworks.
Researchers at the California Institute of Technology wanted to understand how ants dig a nest, so they placed some ants in jars and used X-rays to examine the specific details of their excavation.
The research results published in 2021 indicate that ants may not be "smart" designers, but they are highly talented. The researchers said, "They accidentally discovered a digging technique that conforms to the laws of physics, but it's highly efficient," which is why they can dig tunnels underground that won't collapse.
The researchers also believe that this digging behavior needs further study, and perhaps in the future, it could be useful for us. For example, simulating ant digging for computer modeling or even creating "bionic ants" could help humans dig tunnels.
