Leaf-cutter ant
The ants use their special jaw to “saw” off pieces of plants that they carry back to their underground home. Most people think the ants bit off the leaves to eat them, but they don’t. Leaf-cutter ants eat fungus. They tuck the bits of leaves into their tunnels and wait for the fungus to grow. Then they harvest and eat it.
Most of the ants in a colony are workers, but they often have different jobs depending on their body size. The smallest ants, called minims, grow the fungus food and watch over eggs the queen ant has laid. The very largest worker ants, called majors, go out to collect bits of plants and defend the colony from intruders.
Area: Central and South America, Mexico, and part of the southern United States
Habitat:
Rain forest
Food:
Fungus
Size:
Up to ½ an inch long; queen ant may be more than 1 inch long
Babies:
Grub hatches from an egg; grub becomes a pupa before changing to adult form.
(source:google/http://adminkids.sandiegozoo.org/)
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