Leafcutter Ant
About the Leafcutter Ant
The first farmers on Earth - they cultivate fungus gardens 60 million years before humans invented agriculture. They do not eat the leaves they cut - they use them as substrate to grow a specific fungus species. Colonies can contain 8 million individuals and span 30 meters underground. They have a complex caste system with four physical worker types. They remove 15-20% of leaf production in their range. Their waste management systems rival human cities in organization.
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