Description
Book SynopsisTakes us around the globe on a colorful journey in search of the hidden world of ants. In tales from Nigeria, Indonesia, the Amazon, Australia, California, and elsewhere, this book recounts the author's entomological exploits and provides details on how ants live and how they dominate their ecosystems through strikingly human behaviors.
Trade Review"Packed with graphic enthusiasm...[and] provocative thoughts... [Moffett] writes with an entertainer's instinct for hooking a restless audience." New York Times "[Adventures among Ants] is hefty, yet aerodynamic. It's really good for killing ants." The Colbert Report "Take a look at daring eco-adventurer Mark Moffett's spectacular new ant book." - Margaret Atwood -- Margaret Atwood New York Review Of Books "Superb book by a first-class writer with an unsurpassed feel for ants." Library Journal "Adventures Among Ants may reach a broader audience than other recent publications and therefore stimulate interest in ants among a new generation." -- Philip Newey Bioscience "Serfdom, war and dying for the tribe: It reads like a page out of a Russian novel. In fact, we're talking about ant life." Los Angeles Times "The book itself is a fine specimen ... [Moffett's] expertise with the camera must match his expertise on ant biology." National Wildlife "Moffett's ants are always sleek, polished and doing something spectacular." Nature "Adventure Among Ants offers exotic tales of places you will probably never go, and glimpses of beautiful ants performing marvelous feats." -- Deborah M. Gordon Nature "Many fascinating anecdotes." Washington Post
Table of ContentsIntroduction: Travels with My Ants
A Brief Primer on Ants
Marauder Ant, the Ultimate Omnivore
1. Strength in Numbers
2. The Perfect Swarm
3. Division of Labor
4. Infrastructure
5. Group Transport
African Army Ant, Raiders on the Swarm
6. Big Game Hunters
7. Clash of the Titans
8. Notes from Underground
Weaver Ant, Empress of the Air
9. Canopy Empires
10. Fortified Forests
11. Negotiating the Physical World
Amazon Ant, the Slavemaker
12. Slaves of Sagehen Creek
13. Abduction in the Afternoon
Leafcutter Ant, the Constant Gardener
14. A Fungus Farmer’s Life
15. The Origins of Agriculture
Argentine Ant, the Global Invader
16. Armies of the Earth
17. The Immortal Society
Conclusion: Four Ways of Looking at an Ant
Acknowledgments and a Note on Content
Notes
Index
