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Ant Anatomy, Inside Out

Remember burning ants outside with a magnifying glass when you were a little kid?

Did you ever stop to look at the ants before they got crispy?

Well, if you haven’t, this article will fill you in on:

• Visible anatomy
• Internal systems
• Senses
• Defenses

Visible Anatomy

Ants have three parts to their body: head, abdomen, and thorax.

Head

Most ants have two compound eyes, i.e. eyes with multiple lenses, sometimes numbering in the thousands. However, some ants have no eyes.

Mandibles, attached to their mouth, are for biting and carrying food. Mandible size varies among species.

The antennae on ants are elbowed, or bent, whereas most insects have straight antennae. Ants’ antennae are also clubbed, or larger at the end.

Abdomen

The abdomen is the center part of the body, where the ants’ six legs attach. The legs are clawed at the end, allowing them to crawl on almost any surface, horizontal and vertical.

Some species grow small hairs on their abdomen.

Thorax

The rear of the ant, the thorax, is attached to the body by a small part called a petiole. Some ants have a second one, called a post-petiole.

Ants, which are closely related to stinging insects like wasps, have a small stinger on the thorax.

Internal Systems

Ants do not have blood vessels, but do have a long, thin heart that extends through most of their body.

Like the heart, an ant’s nervous system is one long cord which goes through its body with several branches leading to the rest of the body, like a human spinal cord.

Ants lack lungs. They draw in oxygen and release carbon dioxide through holes in their bodies.

While they lack blood vessels and lungs, ants make up for it as they have more than one brain: a main brain in the head and several smaller brains throughout their bodies. This is why they still twitch after you squish them.

Senses

Ants use their antennae for a sense of taste, smell, and touch.

Ants release pheromones into the air around them to communicate with one another. Other ants detect the smell through their antennae.

Small cones and hairs on the antennae let ants identify what is around them. Ants that lack eyes have more of these than ants that can see.

Lacking ears, ants hear through vibrations in the ground under their feet.

Defenses

Ants will bite with their mandibles. Species like soldier ants use this as their primary weapon.

In the thorax, some ants have a venom sac, allowing them to sting predators.

Other ants have an acid spray in their thorax. They bite the attacker and then spray a strong-smelling acid into the wound. The acid will stun or kill the victim and signals predators to stay away.

If you have a problem with ants, protect your home from them with EcoSMART’s Ant and Roach Killer. It’s a family-safe formula that kills ants and keeps them away. By using natural ingredients like cinnamon oil, it leaves a smell that you will enjoy and ants will avoid.