Mysterious "architecture" on the African continent - the strange African ant nest

Strange African ant nest

When I was working in Africa, I often saw small mounds of different sizes and shapes in the wild. They were huge in number and arranged in a staggered manner, which was spectacular. At first, I was very curious and thought they were buildings made by the locals for some special purpose, or totem symbols of religious beliefs. Later, I learned that these were actually the nests of various ants.

Densely packed anthills

Ant nests all over the grassland

Spectacular ant hill

Ant nests, or what we commonly call ant nests, are, in my opinion, hidden buildings that are like underground mazes, with only a small exit on the surface. I still remember some videos where people kept ants in thin glass jars and watched the cross-section of ant nests through the glass. But in Africa, you don't have to be so bothered, because the ant nests that can be seen everywhere are completely different architectural styles, the kind that can be described as "magnificent" and "high-rise buildings" that do not need to be hidden at all. On the vast grasslands, in the dense forests... you can see ant nests of different sizes and shapes everywhere. Perhaps it is more appropriate to describe them as "ant hills". Some of them can really be about ten meters high, and together with the nests of plants and animals that coexist together, they are like small hills.

Ant nest in the rainforest

Ant nest in the grassland

Hill-shaped anthill

Ant nest formation

In Africa, the rainy season is the mating season for termites, and the humid and hot weather before and after heavy rain is the time for them to fly. Male and female ants with reproductive capacity leave the nest in astonishing numbers, flying recklessly all over the sky. When they land on the ground, their wings fall off, and a spectacular sparkling scene can be seen in ponds or stagnant water.

Do you think they are dead when their wings fall off? No, this is a preparation for the next generation. After successfully mating, termites will burrow into the ground and become the new king and queen in their own nests, and begin to build their own "empire". The countless tiny mounds on the surface are the prototypes of "ant hills". Termites have amazing reproductive abilities. A pair of king and queen ants can improve and expand their family members within a few weeks, from newly hatched young ants to older nymphs, and then to worker ants, soldier ants, reproductive ants, and so on.

Ant nests on the African grasslands are mainly made by worker ants using their own secretions to stick together various materials such as soil and weeds. It can be understood as a special kind of "concrete". The worker ants work non-stop day after day, and the tall ant nests are long-term projects. It can be said that those ancient ant nests have not only experienced wind and rain, but are also witnesses and participants in the evolution of African nature.

Winged reproductive ants

The original form of the anthill

The queen ant in the anthill

Ordinary worker ants

The structure of an ant nest

The outer shell of an anthill is extremely solid, and the interior is huge, complex, and fully functional. Between the ring-shaped trunk passages with a diameter as big as a finger, there are countless small passages crisscrossing and connecting various functional areas. Each room in the anthill has a specific purpose, such as food storage room, food decomposition room, larvae hatching room, fungus cultivation room, queen ant breeding room, etc. An anthill is a completely orderly social collective. Thousands of ants are in an orderly manner in the anthill, and each performs their duties according to different divisions of labor.

The anthill, whether above ground or underground, has good drainage and ventilation measures, which keep it warm in winter and cool in summer. It can also collect condensed water droplets. It uses the internal and external air pressure and wind to adjust the temperature inside the anthill and maintain a constant temperature and humidity. Whether it is a hot afternoon or a cold night, the temperature of important parts in the anthill can always be kept at a comfortable 30°C, which is like having a sophisticated air circulation function. It is precisely because of such a complex and comfortable "ant hill" that termites can live comfortably in the harsh natural environment.

Simplified diagram of an ant nest

Cross section of ant nest

Ant nest under construction

Different forms of ant nests

Ant nests come in many different shapes. Ants build many different types of nests depending on their species and natural environment. I have seen several representative ant nest shapes in Africa. The most typical ones are the towering conical ant nests, which can reach a height of 10 meters; the mushroom-shaped ant nests, which are mostly less than 50 centimeters, and their thick main body and semicircular top can withstand storms; the hill-shaped ant nest, which is often built around a thick tree, with plants growing outside the ant nest, and looks like a small hill from a distance; there is also a more special ant nest, which is attached to the tree trunk and is several meters above the ground. In addition, the most famous ant species in Africa: the marching ant, they have no nests. The marching ants bring their families out of the nest, like a red stream, sweeping away all the edible creatures they encounter along the way.

Mushroom-shaped anthill

Hill-shaped anthill

Hill-shaped anthill

Ant nest on tree trunk

Army Ants

Conical anthill

The relationship between ants and humans

Ant nests can be seen everywhere in Africa, most of which are termite nests. Termites have a wide range of diets and an amazing appetite, so they can also cause certain harm to humans, such as reducing crop yields and damaging buildings. But it should be understood that about 90% of termites do not pose a threat to humans. On the contrary, they have a wide range of uses for humans.

First of all, it can serve as a signpost. Locals mostly give names to large-scale anthills, which can help villagers identify directions in areas with poor transportation and lack of roads. Secondly, various anthills are a natural paradise for children to play. Local black children like to play here because other dangerous animals will not live where there are anthills. For local people, the biggest role of anthills is to provide food. There are a large number of termites living in each anthill. For food-scarce African areas, termites can be used as food. Termites have high protein, fat, and sugar content. They are easy to catch and simple to cook. For thousands of years, African residents have regarded termites as a delicacy.

Whether in the rainforest, grassland or farmland, termites play an important role, accelerating the decomposition of organic matter, promoting material circulation, purifying the surface, improving soil structure, and increasing soil fertility. Tiny termites are far more important to the biosphere than humans. Without them, the food chain will be destroyed, and tens of thousands of species of animals and plants on the earth may become extinct.

Even for developed countries, ant nests are still valuable for scientific research. Ant nests make full use of the temperature difference between inside and outside through ingenious and complex architectural structures, which can avoid the heat during the day and keep warm at night. Although modern buildings rely on electricity and energy to maintain a comfortable temperature, the resource consumption and damage to the natural environment caused are also shocking. If we can learn from the architectural structure of ant nests and design and build houses that can be lived in comfortably without consuming resources, it will be the best of both worlds for the environment and humans.

The mysterious and spectacular anthills may be a natural landscape unique to Africa. In this ancient and mysterious land, there are always strange sights that we have never seen. Let us start our African journey step by step and take you to appreciate the natural miracles.