Ants are a superorganism – a group of organisms of the same species all working together in synergy.
Rather than acting as individuals, they’ve evolved to operate as a unified organism – dividing labour and constantly communicating with one another.
And when it comes to ants, their diminutive size means they can’t take down prey on their own. So as Chris Packham explains in the BBC TV series Evolution, their solution was to “turn into a mass killing machine. Each one of the individuals has become a cog in that machine.”
Their efficiency means they can work as one giant organism.
“And when they swarm, almost anything is on the menu. Crickets, caterpillars – or if they’re wounded, even chickens, goats and pigs. And by the feel of it, even a Packham.”
