Empire of Ants
On sale
6th May 2021
Price: £16.99
‘Beautifully written and filled with mind-boggling wonders’ – Dave Goulson, author of A Sting in the Tale
‘Thrilling, compellingly readable and paradigm-shattering’ – Charles Foster, author of Being a Beast
‘Both expert and entertaining’ – David Barrie, author of Incredible Journeys
Ants have been walking the Earth since the age of the dinosaurs. Today there are one million ants for every one of us.
The closer you get to ants, the more human they look: they build megacities, grow crops, raise livestock, tend their young and infirm, and even make vaccines. They also have a darker side: they wage war, enslave rivals and rebel against their oppressors. From fearsome army ants, who stage twelve-hour hunting raids where they devour thousands, to gentle leaf-cutters gardening in their peaceful underground kingdoms, every ant is engineered by nature to fulfil their particular role.
Acclaimed biologist Susanne Foitzik has travelled the globe to study these master architects of Earth. Joined by journalist Olaf Fritsche, Foitzik invites readers deep into her world – in the field and in the lab – and will inspire new respect for ants as a global superpower.
Fascinating and action-packed, Empire of Ants will open your eyes to the secret societies thriving right beneath your feet.
‘Thrilling, compellingly readable and paradigm-shattering’ – Charles Foster, author of Being a Beast
‘Both expert and entertaining’ – David Barrie, author of Incredible Journeys
Ants have been walking the Earth since the age of the dinosaurs. Today there are one million ants for every one of us.
The closer you get to ants, the more human they look: they build megacities, grow crops, raise livestock, tend their young and infirm, and even make vaccines. They also have a darker side: they wage war, enslave rivals and rebel against their oppressors. From fearsome army ants, who stage twelve-hour hunting raids where they devour thousands, to gentle leaf-cutters gardening in their peaceful underground kingdoms, every ant is engineered by nature to fulfil their particular role.
Acclaimed biologist Susanne Foitzik has travelled the globe to study these master architects of Earth. Joined by journalist Olaf Fritsche, Foitzik invites readers deep into her world – in the field and in the lab – and will inspire new respect for ants as a global superpower.
Fascinating and action-packed, Empire of Ants will open your eyes to the secret societies thriving right beneath your feet.
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Reviews
Are we the sole rulers of this world? This wonderful book brings our tiny co-rulers alive via an engaging description of ants' cities, hard work, warfare, royalty, diversity, and ecological impact. These insects may be quite different from us, but their societies are eerily similar.
If you ever wanted to travel to an exotic planet filled with strange life forms - you've arrived. Every page of Empire of Ants brims with astonishing stories and facts that could never have been invented by a human mind.
This is a charming tribute to the 'little creatures that run the world.' A very personal selection of the many wonders discovered in the world of ants that introduces readers to their fascinating lives.
Susanne Foitzik and Olaf Fritsche have you enter a whole new universe worthy of a science fiction novel, yet it exists right at your feet.
This highly entertaining book makes it clear that Mother Nature has been having a wildly fun time moulding these social insects into an abundance of behavioural and physical expression.
Both expert and entertaining, Empire of Ants will leave you in no doubt that these wonderfully strange little animals are among the most impressive of all our fellow creatures.
Thrilling, compellingly readable, and paradigm-shattering. A gateway to a strange but strangely familiar society - a complex international community, ruled by stern, exotic, resonant and repercussive stories.
Beautifully written and filled with mind-boggling wonders, Empire of Ants is a delightful tribute to the minuscule but extraordinary world of creatures that live right beneath our feet.