Second only to humans, leaf cutter ants form the largest and most complex society on earth; one nest can be as large as 30 metres in diameter and house up to 8 million individuals. The ants use ...

Biologists have found new types of specialized fungal parasites that attack the nests of leaf-cutter ants and their relatives. The discovery could provide clues for controlling the agricultural and ...

EUGENE, Ore. -- (Dec. 9, 2010) -- When their razor-sharp mandibles wear out, leaf-cutter ants change jobs, remaining productive while letting their more efficient sisters take over cutting, say ...

The leaf cutter ant (Atta rodona) is a fungus-growing ant that inhabits tropical regions like Manu. Groups of these ants are often seen at night dismantling area vegetation leaf by leaf. During a ...

Leaf-cutter ants build super highways to transfer food and building materials hundreds of metres without communicating with each other, scientists claimed Wednesday, in findings that could prompt a ...

The tiny leaf-cutter ant in Costa Rica punches well above its weight. Not only is it super strong, the ant could also help change the world for the better. Marching in long, exemplary lines, each ...

Scientists at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama discovered that carrying oversized loads limits the ability to perceive the trail in leafcutter ants, akin to blind spots ...

When looking for wildlife in Costa Rica, it’s easy to become fixated on the unusual mammals and vibrant birds, but one of the country’s most complex creatures lies underfoot. Living in massive ...

Leaf-cutter ant nests are biogeochemical hot spots where ants live and import vegetation to grow fungus. Metabolic activity and (in wet tropical forests) soil gas flux to the nest may result in high ...

A 15-year study of leaf-cutter ants and their relatives across North and South America found that their nests are susceptible to infection by a diverse group of specialized fungal parasites. The ...