2020-01-16

[public] 4.57M views, 75.9K likes, dislikes audio only

TED-Ed

Follow a queen fire ant as she builds a colony, protects it from neighboring ant armies and fends off would-be usurpers vying for her throne.

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In the spring, just after a heavy rainfall, male and female fire ants swarm the skies for a day of romance, known as the nuptial flight. Thousands of reproduction-capable ants take part in a mating frenzy, and for one successfully mated female, her work is only beginning. Walter R. Tschinkel details how the new queen builds a colony and protects it from neighboring ant armies.

Lesson by Walter R. Tschinkel, directed by Lisa Vertudaches.

Animator's website: https://lisavertudaches.com/

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View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/mating-frenzies-sperm-hoards-and-brood-raids-the-life-of-a-fire-ant-queen-walter-r-tschinkel

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