Ants. of All Kinds. by Anne Kasper HOUGHTON MIFFLIN

Transcription

1 Ants of All Kinds by Anne Kasper HOUGHTON MIFFLIN

2 Ants of All Kinds by Anne Kasper ILLUSTRATION CREDIT: Articulate Graphics PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS: Cover Oxford Scientific/Jupiter Images; Cover, 3-14 (border) Vince Reichardt/Getty Images; tp Ken King/Taxi/Getty Images; 3 Antje Schulte/Alamy; 5 TRBfoto/Getty Images; 6 Oxford Scientific/Jupiter Images; 7 Stockbyte/Getty Images; 8 Chris Fredriksson/Alamy; 9 Leonard Lee Rue III/Photo Researchers, Inc.; 10 Ken King/Taxi/Getty Images; 11 Oxford Scientific Films/Photolibrary; 13 Wayne Lawler; Ecoscene/Corbis. Copyright by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system without the prior written permission of the copyright owner unless such copying is expressly permitted by federal copyright law. With the exception of nonprofit transcription into Braille, Houghton Mifflin is not authorized to grant permission for further uses of this work. Permission must be obtained from the individual copyright owner as identified herein. Address requests for permission to make copies of Houghton Mifflin material to School Permissions, Houghton Mifflin Company, 222 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA Printed in China ISBN-13: ISBN-10: RRD

3 Table of Contents One Big Family 4 Amazing Ants 6 Army Ants 8 Fire Ants 9 Leaf Cutter Ants 10 Carpenter Ants 11 Harvester Ants 12 Pharaoh Ants 12 Weaver Ants 13

4 Some ants can carry times their body weight! A n ant crawls through the tall grass. It is a long way from its nest, but somehow it knows exactly where to go. It is following the scent of a juicy chunk of melon that fell under a picnic table. This chunk is much bigger and heavier than the ant. Amazingly, though, the ant will lift it and then transport it all the way home! 3

5 One Big Family You might think of ants as those annoying pests that ruin picnics, but there is actually a lot more to these little creatures. Ants are part of the insect family because they have six legs, a body divided into several parts, and a pair of antennae. They also have a strong sense of smell that helps them find food. An ant exchanges information with other ants using different scents. Head Thorax Abdomen Pair of antennae Three pairs of legs Parts of an ant 4

6 Ants are social insects. They live in large colonies and share everything. This includes work, caring for the young, and finding food. Worker ants search for food outside and carry back what they find. Then the other ants gather around them to get the excess. An important ant in each colony is the queen. She stays in a hidden chamber located in the nest. She lays eggs there and raises the next generation of ants. Did you know? An ant colony can last between 10 and 30 years. Queen ants can live to be 15 years old! 5

7 Amazing Ants There are more than 11,000 different kinds of ants in the world. Each kind has developed special qualities to help it survive. Ants can be different colors such as black, brown, red, or green. Depending on where they live, their color helps them blend in and hide. Different types of ants eat various kinds of foods, too. Some eat plants, and others eat other bugs. Some ants even grow their own food! Red ants can give a painful bite. 6

8 Where Ants Live Around the World Type of Ant Where They Live Army Ants Africa South America Carpenter Ants Canada United States Fire Ants Caribbean South America Southern United States Harvester Ants Western United States Leaf Cutter Ants Central America South America Weaver Ants Africa Southern Asia Australia Pharaoh Ants Worldwide 7

9 Army ants march in columns like soldiers. Army Ants Army ants like hot, humid places. They are often found in warm, tropical areas such as South America, Africa, and Southern Asia. They usually build their nests in the ground. You can tell that army ants are organized because they travel in neat columns and capture their food by swarming over it in large numbers. 8

10 Fire Ants Another ant found in South America is the fire ant. Fire ants live in large dirt mounds that they build themselves. If anything bothers their mound, they will attack it with their sharp stingers. When a fire ant stings something, it lets out a poison that causes a very painful burning feeling. Fire ant mounds can be up to three feet high. 9

11 Leaf Cutter Ants Leaf cutter ants are another kind of ant from Central and South America. They like to make their home out of cut-up leaves in the forest. A larger ant cuts pieces of leaves and transfers them to the smaller ants. The smaller ants carry the leaf pieces past obstacles and back to the nest. Ants also use the leaves to grow the fungus that they eat. Leaf cutter ants grow their food using leaves. 10

12 Carpenter ants also build their nests in the wooden beams of houses. Carpenter Ants You can find a carpenter ant right outside your door in North America. Carpenter ants need trees to survive. They make their home by using their strong jaws to hollow out trees and build nests inside. The ants don t eat this wood, though. Instead, they like to dine on other insects, meat, and sugary treats. 11

13 Harvester Ants Harvester ants are found in the hot, dry areas of the western United States. They are known for collecting the seeds they use for food. They collect lots of extra seeds and build special chambers for storage. That way, the harvester ants always have something to eat when other food gets scarce. Pharaoh Ants The pharaoh ant first lived in the warm climate of Egypt. Over time, however, this ant was accidentally carried to other countries. Now it lives inside the walls of buildings around the world. Heated buildings give pharaoh ants warmth and easy access to food. 12

14 Weaver Ants Weaver ants can be found halfway around the world in Africa, India, and Australia. These ants live in nests made of leaves that they build high up in trees. They reinforce the nest by sewing the leaves together with long strands of silk. Young ants, called larvae, do their part by spinning these silk strings. Weaver ants build their nests high up in trees. 13

15 These are just a few of the ants that live around the world. So, the next time you see an ant walk off with your potato chip, you can tell everyone at the picnic about its ability to carry more than 10 times its weight. Ants at a Glance 14 Type of Ant Why They re Special Army Ants They march in neat columns like soldiers. Fire Ants They use a stinger to attack enemies. Leaf Cutter Ants They cut up leaves to help make fungus. Carpenter Ants They build their nests inside trees. Harvester Ants They collect and store extra seeds. Weaver Ants They build nests out of leaves and silk. Pharaoh Ants They have spread all over the world.

16 Responding TARGET VOCABULARY Word Builder Many verbs have the same endings in the present tense. In the verb transfers, -s is added at the end. Think of some other verbs and their endings. Copy and complete the chart below. -s transfers? -es coaches? -ed jumped? Write About It Text to Text Think of a book that you have read that describes another animal and how it lives. Write a paragraph in which you describe this other animal, where it lives, and what it eats for food. Use one word from the Word Builder in your paragraph. 15

17 TARGET VOCABULARY chamber excess exchanges obstacles reinforce scarce social storage transfers transport TARGET STRATEGY Question Ask questions before you read, as you read, and after you read. Choose the correct vocabulary word to complete the rhyme below. If you have money in a success., you will be called 16

18 Level: O DRA: 38 Science Strategy: Question Word Count: Build Vocabulary HOUGHTON MIFFLIN Online Leveled Books ISBN-13: ISBN-10: