Mating frenzies, sperm hoards, and brood raids: The life of a fire ant queen - Walter R. Tschinkel
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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.
What might be the advantage to a nest-founding female to do so without feeding? What adaptations make it possible for her to do so?
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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
