Kingdom Of Ants

One of the earliest New World naturalists, José Celestino Mutis began his professional life as a physician in Spain and ended it as a scientist and natural philosopher in modern-day Colombia. Drawing on new translations of Mutis's nearly forgotten writings, this fascinating story of scientific adventure in eighteenth-century South America retrieves Mutis's contributions from obscurity. In 1760, the 28-year-old Mutis—newly appointed as the personal physician of the Viceroy of the New Kingdom of Granada—embarked on a 48-year exploration of the natural world of northern South America. His thirst for knowledge led Mutis to study the region's flora, become a professor of mathematics, construct the first astronomical observatory in the Western Hemisphere, and amass one of the largest scientific libraries in the world. He translated Newton's writings and penned essays about Copernicus; lectured extensively on astronomy, geography, and meteorology; and eventually became a priest. But, as two-time Pulitzer Prize–winner Edward O. Wilson and Spanish natural history scholar José M. Gómez Durán reveal in this enjoyable and illustrative account, one of Mutis's most magnificent accomplishments involved ants. Acting at the urging of Carl Linnaeus—the father of taxonomy—shortly after he arrived in the New Kingdom of Granada, Mutis began studying the ants that swarmed everywhere. Though he lacked any entomological training, Mutis built his own classification for the species he found and named at a time when New World entomology was largely nonexistent. His unorthodox catalog of army ants, leafcutters, and other six-legged creatures found along the banks of the Magdalena provided a starting point for future study. Wilson and Durán weave a compelling, fast-paced story of ants on the march and the eighteenth-century scientist who followed them. A unique glance into the early world of science exploration, Kingdom of Ants is a delight to read and filled with intriguing information.

Simon had always been the smallest and the weakest worker ant in the Ant Kingdom. He accepted his fate when he was just a grub. When the peaceful kingdom was threatened suddenly by their enemies, he was chosen by an unseen force to become the leader the a

Richly illustrated and delightfully written, Journey to the Ants combines autobiography and scientific lore to convey the excitement and pleasure the study of ants can offer. Bert Hölldobler and E. O. Wilson interweave their personal adventures with the social lives of ants, building, from the first minute observations of childhood, a remarkable account of these abundant insects’ evolutionary achievement.

Ants came to this planet long before man. Since then they have developed one of the most intricate civilizations imaginable – a civilization of great richness and technological brilliance. During the few seconds it takes you to read this sentence, some 700 milli0on ants will be born on earth... Edmond Wells had studied ants for years: he knew of the power which existed in their hidden world. On his death, he leaves his apartment to his nephew Jonathan with one proviso: that he must not descend beyond the cellar door. But when the family’s dog escapes down the cellar steps, Jonathan has little alternative but to follow. Innocently he enters the world of the ant, whose struggle for existence forces him to reassess man’s place in the cycle of nature. It is an experience that will alter his life for ever... Empire of the Ants is an extraordinary achievement. It takes you inside the ants’ universe and reveals it to be a highly organised world, as complex and relentless as human society and even more brutal.

Originally published: London: David West Children's Books, 2005.

One of the most interesting groups in the animal kingdom is the any colony. In this book, readers are trained to explore the world of ants, including their fascinating groups, body parts, life cycle, and more. Up-close photographs take readers where they wouldn’t otherwise be able to go and see the body of the ant in incredible detail. Simple language and age-appropriate information engages new readers through understanding how ants find food, how they become food, and even how they communicate.

Experience the adventures of a 9-year-old boy, Seenu, in the kingdom of ants when an ant wizard shrinks him and he has encounters with a Snake, Ant Lion, Spider, Lizard, and many more interesting characters. In The Wizard of Ants, Seenu learns about the social behavior of ants and the problems that they face. He also learns about the value of friendship and unity. The ant wizard talks of an Indian myth about his ancestors and the myth comes to life. The characters Big Mouth and Finger Tips enhance the story for the readers. A tale about a thief and an old wise lady narrated by Big Mouth explains that there will always be someone smarter than others regardless of age, sex, and origin. A snake that enters the kingdom separates the boy and the ant wizard. How can the boy and the ants handle the misery and chaos caused by the snake? The author has committed 5% of his royalties to create a mathematics scholarship in his father's name and an additional 5% for a feeding the children program through MissionsMadePossible.org.