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Mating frenzies, sperm hoards, and brood raids: The life of a fire ant queen - Walter R. Tschinkel

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TEDEd Animation

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In the spring, just after a heavy rainfall, male and female fire ants swarm the skies for a day of romance, known as the nuptial flight. Thousands of reproduction-capable ants take part in a mating frenzy, and for one successfully mated female, her work is only beginning. Walter R. Tschinkel details how the new queen builds a colony and protects it from neighboring ant armies.

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Meet The Creators

  • Educator Walter Tschinkel
  • Director Lisa Vertudaches
  • Narrator Addison Anderson
  • Storyboard Artist Lisa Vertudaches
  • Animator Lisa Vertudaches
  • Compositor Lisa Vertudaches
  • Art Director Lisa Vertudaches
  • Sound Designer Phil Brookes
  • Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Producer Alex Rosenthal
  • Associate Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott
  • Associate Editorial Producer Dan Kwartler
  • Script Editor Alex Gendler
  • Fact-Checker Eden Girma

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