Planet of ants. Wilson E.

A visible Mirmeecologist, founder of sociobiology, Edward Wilson, wrote this book, relying on his almost 80 years of experience in studying ants. These amazing insects live in communities, which in their structure and diversity can compare with human ones. But, describing their habits and social life, the author notes that the ants are far from perfection from the point of view of human morality: this is a completely female world in which the fate of males is unenviable; Moreover, they are very belligerent, their slavery, parasitism, and even cannibalism flourish them. At the same time, their complex joint actions and the need to navigate in space require developed intelligence and communication, which is based on pheromones. The book tells about a huge variety of these insects. At the same time, the scientist notes that the ant world is full of white spots. Currently, species, well -studied from the point of view of their natural history and biology, make up only a tiny share of more than 15,000 species of ants that are now known to science, and thousands of species are completely unprofitable.

illustrated by detailed drawings of ants of different types, as well as photographs from expeditions.