Ant-like insects have inhabited this world for over 130 million years, evolving into the insects we recognize today from their wasp-like ancestors. Ants are one of the most successful insect species on the planet in terms of adaptability and have even been called super-organisms. Their adaptive success is due to their hive-mind-like structure. This hive-mind-like structure allows ants to not only defend themselves effectively from predators, but also allows them to exploit resources and modify their habitats efficiently. Ants inhabit nearly every land mass on the planet with approximately 12,500 species discovered. (Dvorsky 2012) Army ants prefer tropical and subtropical regions found mainly in Brazil, Peru and Mexico. Army ants prefer these warm, humid climates because of the rainforests where they nest at the base of trees. Army ants are temporary nesters and move when their food source becomes scarce. Because of their large size, ranging from 150,000 to 2 million in established colonies, army ants can be heard marching along the forest floor as they move to new nesting sites. Worker ants have also been recorded bridging each other as they move over holes, cracks and streams. Army ants use their hive mind and aggressive mentality to tackle large prey such as tarantulas, scorpions, cockroaches, frogs, snakes and lizards. Each colony has a queen, workers, master workers, and drones. The queen, which can lay up to 30,000 eggs a day, is noticeably larger and has no wings. The workers begin their day at dawn demolishing almost all life in their path. Worker ants spread out in a fan-shaped swarm and move at speeds of up to 20 meters per hour....... middle of paper ......Ants have evolved over the last 135 million years to be one of the most adaptive species on the planet. From their wasp ancestors to the insects we know today, they have shown an evolutionary path that has led them to be one of the most abundant insects to date. Ants are estimated to represent 15–25% of the planet's animal biomass (Dvorsky 2012). Their hive-like mind allows them to hunt with precision while overtaking prey much larger than themselves. Their strong prehensile mandibles allow them to tear prey into pieces, returning the pieces to the nest. Their social behavior allows for advantages such as genetic diversity and reduced susceptibility to pathogens thanks to serial mating and the evolution of strong escape in the male sex. All these factors and more have contributed and will further contribute to the evolutionary success of the ant.