Temporal range: 100–0Ma Albian – Recent |Army ants forming a
bridge| Ants are social insects of the family Formicidae (pron.:
//) 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. More than 12,500
out of an estimated total of 22,000 species have been
classified. 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 that may occupy large territories and consist
of millions of individuals. 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"