A queen ant is an adult, reproducing female ant in an ant colony; generally she will be the mother of all the other ants in that colony. Some female ants do not need to mate to produce offspring, reproducing through asexual parthenogenesis or cloning and all of those offspring will be female.

Ant offspring develop from larvae specially fed in order to become sexually mature among most species. Depending on the species, there can be either a single mother queen, or potentially, hundreds of fertile queens in some species.

Fire ants range in size from 2 to 6 mm. A range of worker ants is shown along with a queen.

There are loads of cool ant videos that I tried to put on here but It didnt work so here are the links anyway. The one about the ant nest is my favorite of an ants nest which covers 538 square feet and travels 26 feet into the earth. In it’s construction, the colony moved 40 tons of soil. Billions of ant loads of soil were brought to the surface. Each load weighed four times as much as the worker ant, and in human terms, was carried over 1/2 mile to the surface. It is the equivalent of building the great wall of china. It is truly a wonder of the world
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G40LRn1X4Hs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGA3EA5JWCw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozkBd2p2piU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3Mt2E1M6dU&feature=related
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Here is a plaster cast of the ant nest as shown in one of my videos

1	Like all insects, ants have six legs. Each leg has three joints. The legs of the ant are very strong so they can run very quickly. If a man could run as fast for his size as an ant can, he could run as fast as a racehorse. Ants can lift 20 times their own body weight. An ant brain has about 250 000 brain cells. A human brain has 10,000 million so a colony of 40,000 ants has collectively the same size brain as a human.
2	The average life expectancy of an ant is 45-60 days. Ants use their antenae not only for touch, but also for their sense of smell. The head of the ant has a pair of large, strong jaws. The jaws open and shut sideways like a pair of scissors. Adult ants cannot chew and swallow solid food. Instead they swallow the juice which they squeeze from pieces of food. They throw away the dry part that is left over. The ant has two eyes, each eye is made of many smaller eyes.
3	They are called compound eyes. The abdomen of the ant contains two stomachs. One stomach holds the food for itself and second stomach is for food to be shared with other ants. Like all insects, the outside of their body is covered with a hard armour this is called the exoskeleton. Ants have four distinct growing stages, the egg, larva, pupa and the adult. Biologists classify ants as a special group of wasps. (Hymenoptera Formicidae) There are over 10000 known species of ants. Each ant colony has at least one or more queens.
4	The job of the queen is to lay eggs which the worker ants look after. Worker ants are sterile, they look for food, look after the young, and defend the nest from unwanted visitors. Ants are clean and tidy insects. Some worker ants are given the job of taking the rubbish from the nest and putting it outside in a special rubbish dump! Each colony of ants has its own smell. In this way, intruders can be recognized immediately. Many ants such as the common Red species have a sting which they use to defend their nest.
5	The common Black Ants and Wood Ants have no sting, but they can squirt a spray of formic acid. Some birds put ants in their feathers because the ants squirt formic acid which gets rid of the parasites. The Slave-Maker Ant (Polyergus Rufescens) raids the nests of other ants and steals their pupae. When these new ants hatch,they work as slaves within the colony. The worker ants keep the eggs and larvae in different groups according to ages.
6	At night the worker ants move the eggs and larvae deep into the nest to protect them from the cold. During the daytime, the worker ants move the eggs and larvae of the colony to the top of the nest so that they can be warmer. If a worker ant has found a good source for food, it leaves a trail of scent so that the other ants in the colony can find the food. Army Ants are nomadic and they are always moving. They carry their larvae and their eggs with them in a long column.
7	The Army Ant (Ecitron Burchelli) of South America, can have as many as 700,000 members in its colony. The Leaf Cutter Ants are farmers. They cut out pieces of leaves which they take back to their nests. They chew them into a pulp and a special fungus grows it. Ants cannot digest leaves because they cannot digest cellulose. Many people think ants are a pest but I like them. To stop them coming into my kitchen I put some sugar outside. They they have so much to eat that they are not interested in coming into my kitchen.

Ants are my favourite animal, I think they are so cool and when they get together they are super clever but when there on there own they just walk around aimlessly kind of like 1 brain cell when its on its own its useless but when they come together they can do unbelievably clever things.


Ants evolved from wasp like creatures 130 million years ago even before the rise of flowering plants. There are around 22 000 species found and you can easily identify an ant by their elbowed antennae and distinctive structure that forms a slender waist. The main species that everyone knows are the black ant, the red ant, argentine ants, pharaoh ants, wood ants, Carpenter ants and killer ants. The winged ant are just normal ants which grow wings for what is proven as the nuptial flight, this is where the This is where the young queens are fertilized, as soon as this has happened the queen breaks off her wings by biting them and becomes your normal ant again being ready to start her own nest where she can continue to lay eggs for up to 15 years, the males usually die soon after mating. There are carnivorous, herbivorous and omnivorous species

Ants form colonies that range in size from a few dozen predatorily individuals living in small natural cavities to highly organised colonies which may occupy large territories and have millions of little ants. These larger colonies consist of mainly wingless females forming castes of working ants or soldier ants, just like in the film ‘ants’. Nearly all ants’ colonies also have some fertile males called drones and also one or more fertile female called queens. The colonies are sometimes described as super organisms because they all collectively work together to support their colony.

The only place on Earth where ants don’t live is Antarctica and a few remote inhospitable islands but apart from that they have colonised almost every landmass on Earth.

In a lot of species their favourite food is honeydew, which they milk from Aphids, which has high sugar content. When an ant finds a food source it will lay a scent trail back to the nest, where it will communicate with other workers by tapping antennae and also giving some of the food from it's crop, these workers in turn will then be able to locate the food. And that’s why I always find them in my fizzy drinks.

Killer Ant

Red Ant

Carpenters Ants

Black Ant

Argentine Ant

Wood Ant

ANTS

Ants are social insects of the family Formicidae (pronounced /fɔrˈmɪsɨdiː/) and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from wasp-like ancestors in the mid-Cretaceous period between 110 and 130 million years ago and diversified after the rise of flowering plants.[3] More than 12,500 out of an estimated total of 22,000 species have been classified.[4][5][6] They are easily identified by their elbowed antennae and a distinctive node-like structure that forms a slender waist.

Ants form colonies that range in size from a few dozen predatory individuals living in small natural cavities to highly organised colonies which may occupy large territories and consist of millions of individuals. These larger colonies consist mostly of sterile wingless females forming castes of "workers", "soldiers", or other specialised groups. Nearly all ant colonies also have some fertile males called "drones" and one or more fertile females called "queens". The colonies are sometimes described as superorganisms because the ants appear to operate as a unified entity, collectively working together to support the colony.[7]

Ants have colonised almost every landmass on Earth. The only places lacking indigenous ants are Antarctica and a few remote or inhospitable islands. Ants thrive in most ecosystems, and may form 15–25% of the terrestrial animal biomass.[8] Their success in so many environments has been attributed to their social organisation and their ability to modify habitats, tap resources, and defend themselves. Their long co-evolution with other species has led to mimetic, commensal, parasitic, and mutualistic relationships.[9]

Ant societies have division of labour, communication between individuals, and an ability to solve complex problems.[10] These parallels with human societies have long been an inspiration and subject of study.

Many human cultures make use of ants in cuisine, medication and rituals. Some species are valued in their role as biological pest control agents.[11] However, their ability to exploit resources brings ants into conflict with humans, as they can damage crops and invade buildings. Some species, such as the red imported fire ant are regarded as invasive species, establishing themselves in areas where they are accidentally introduced.[12]

Rhodesian Ridgeback


This is my Ridgeback called Heidi she has black n white nails and she was best dog ever until my mum gave her away for being too big. She didnt like the smell of nail varnish, other dogs, strangers or being left alone. She was a top guard dog, but the smallest knock she would bark like mad, Her favorite place to stay was by the window watching all the pssers by. She sang to 'who let the dogs out' when you sang it, but her favorite thing in the world was walkies.








Height: Males, 25-27 inches. Females 24-26 inches
Weight: Males, 80-90 pounds. Females 65-75 pounds

The Rhodesian Ridgeback is a dog breed from South Africa which originally were used to hunt lions in a pact. This breed of dog is known for there bravery. In the early days Ridgebacks were known as Van Rooyen’s Lion Dogs, the African Lion dog. However they didn’t kill the lions, they cornered them and then barked to alert there masters.

Nowdays very few if any are used for there original purpose of hunting but now are great guard dogs and companions. They are quite difficult to breed however with lots of training the rewards are great. My Ridgeback dog wasn’t all that difficult to train as it was very intelligent and we got her at 11 weeks old. She is the fastest dog ever and she used to run along side the car at speeds of 30 mph, they do need a lot of exercise and when my dog didn’t get any she would sulk in her bed all day and not eat or say anything until we took her out.

The Rhodesian Ridgebacks have a flat skull, broad between the ears; the muzzle is powerful, long and deep. The jaws should be strong and have a complete scissor bite. The eyes should be round, bright and set well apart. The ears should be high set, medium in size and carried close to the head. The neck should be strong and reasonably long. The chest should be deep but not too wide. The front legs should straight, strong and heavy in bone, the back legs should be muscular and powerful. The feet should be compact, round with well-arched toes. The tail should be carried slightly curved upwards, but never curled. The coat should be short and dense. The ridge of hair which grows in the opposite direction to the rest of the coat must be clear and symmetrical; starting behind the shoulders and running in a tapering line down the spine and ending at the saddle area. There should be two identical crowns of hair, situated across from one another at the start of the ridge at the shoulder area. The colours desired are self-colours in light wheaten to red wheaten. Some white is allowed on the chest and toes, the less white the better.­

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Dog House Designs.

These dog house designs are so detailed, so realistic and so expensive that even their human house counterparts can be less attractive. These luxury dog house designs will change your opinion of what a dog house can be, but shouldn’t surprise you with what some rich dog owners are willing to spend to keep their puppies wagging.







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DOGS

* All dogs can be tracked back 40 million years ago to a wheasel like animal called Miacis which dwelled in trees. The Miacis later evolved into the Tomarctus, which includes the wolf and jackel as well as the dog.

* When Ancient Egyptians dogs died the owners shaved off their eyebrows, smeared mud in their hair, and moured aloud for days.

* Small quantities of grapes and raisins can cause renal failure in dogs.

* Apple and pear seeds contain arsenic, which may be deadly to dogs.

* They have swet glands in their paws.

* In 2003 Dr. Mugford invented the "wagometer" a device that claims to interpret a dogs exact mood by measure the wag of its tail.

* Dogs have 3 eyelids

* Puppies are sometimes rejected by thiere mothers if if born by cesarian.

* The shape of a dogs face can help predict how long it will live for. Dogs with sharp, pointed faces that look more like wolves live longer then dogs with very flat faces such as bull dogs.

* The most dogs ever owned by 1 person were 5000 Mastiffs.

* The most popular dog names are Max and Jake, females names are Maggie and Molly.

* Weird dog laws include allowing police dogs in Ohio to bite another dog to quieten it. And in in California cats and dogs cannot have sex without a permit.

* In Iran it is illegal to own a pet dog as a pet.

* The anicient Mbaya Indians of South America believed that humans originally lived underground until dogs dug them up.

* French poodles did not originate in France but in Germany.

* Dalmations are completly white at birth.

* Alexander the great is said to have founded and named a city Peritas in memory of his dog.

* The earliest European images of dogs are found in caves paintings dateing back 12000 yrs ago in Spain.

* A puppy is born blind deaf and toothless.

* The Basenji is the only dog in the world that cant bark.

* A doog most likely interprets a smiling person as baring their teeth wich is a sign of aggresion.

* It costs approx £10 000 to train a rescue dog.

* The smallest dog on record was the matchbox size Yorkshire Terrior which was 2.5 inches tall.

* A dog can locate the scource of a sound in 1/600 of a second and can hear sounds four times farther away then humans can.

* Touch is the 1st sence dogs develop.

* 18 muscles or more can move a dogs ear.

* In Egypt a person bitten by a dog was encouraged to eat the roasted liver of a dog infected with rabis to avoid contracting the diesease.

* There are 400 million dogs in the world.

* A doggys nose print are as unique as a humans finger print and can be used to identify them.

* It is much easier for dogs to learn spoken commands if they are given with a hand signal.

* Dogs can see in colour though they can see better when the light is low.

* Zorba is an English mastiff is the biggest dog ever recorded. He weighs 343 pounds and measured 8'3" from nose to tail.

* The average dog can run 19mph. Greyhounds are the fastest dogs on Earth and can run at speeds of 45mph.

* The oldest dog on record was an Australian cattle dog named Bluey who was 29 yrs and 5 months. Thats more than 160 yrs old in human yrs.

* A persoon standing still 300 yards away is almost invisible to a dog. But a dog can easily identify its owner standing a mile away if its owner is waving their arms.

* Dogs can smell about 1000 times better then humans. While humans have 5 million smell detecting cells, dogs have more then 220 million.

* Studies show that some dogs can detect cancer by smelling a persons breath.

* Some dogs can smell dead bodies under water where termites are hiding, and natural gas burried under 40 feet of dirt.

* Dogs can also detect cancer that is too small to be detected by a doctor and can find lung cancer that is too small to be detected by sniffing a persons breath.

* Dogs have wet noses to collect more tiny droplets of smelling chemicals in the air.

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http://www.petapixel.com/2010/03/02/dogs-filmed-at-1000-frames-per-second/

Here are some eyes that I found on the internet, they look pretty cool been taken with micro lens very detailed. Almost looks like a planet all dusty and planety.

The Eyeball

The part of the eyeball that is visible (technical term is Sclera) is commonly called the ‘white of the eye’. However, a common mistake is to literally make it white. The eye ball is a round volume and it needs to be shaded like one. Depending on the light source, usually a gradient on one side or both will do the trick.
Shading the Iris, Cornea, and Pupil

Understanding the structure of these forms is important for when you start shading them. The pupil is easy. Its always a black dot on the iris. When we describe the color of someone’s eyes, we are describing the color of the iris. The iris must be shaded like a concave form. If the light source is from the top, the bottom of the iris will be lit. If the light source is from the left, the right side of the iris will be lit, and so on… The cornea will be the exact opposite, because it is a convex form. This is easier to understand with an image:

Eyelashes

The trick with eyelashes is to simplify them. I like to group them together into chunks and draw them as simple dark shapes. From the front, the dark shape of the lashes will merge with the dark shadow under the top lid. If the lashes are long and curl up enough to be seen as individual lashes, still try to simplify them rather than drawing each lash. I like to draw them blurry as if they are out of focus. From the side, the shape is like a curly triangle.

The brow ridge
The brow ridge acts like an awning to protect the eye. Similarly, the top lid extends forward further than the bottom lid.

The eyebrows sit on the brow-ridge and peak towards the outer end. The outside ends tend to be lighter, thinner, and have less hair than the inside ends. The shape of the eyebrows varies from person to person. Men tend to have fuller and straighter types while women have thinner types that peak higher.