The ants...

[Isard]

Interesting little discussion came up in the IRC today... I think it started with insects, something like that, "beetles are stupid" anyways. I chose to defend insects in this, citing ants as an example. Now first of, I hold that ants are the second most advanced race on the planet earth. And here's my reasoning for it.

I define advancement by our standards, with humans being the "most advanced", now what are some qualities that we have as an "advanced" species that others do not?

We change our environment. We don't just live where we want, we make it habitable. We build shelters, organize with our neighbors, and cooperate with any others that live in proximity.

Sub-point of that would be agriculture, we don't rely simply on hunting and gathering for food. We grow our own plants for food, we domesticate animals, and can stay in one place for years without draining the area of gather able food sources.

War. We don't just have conflicts, we have wars over territory, supplies, just about anything really. Not just small groups conflicting then fleeing, we annihilate our "enemies" completely on a massive scale.



Now for ant facts. Ants live in massive underground complexes, they work together to build hives/nests underground. With tunnel systems that can stretch for miles, filled with billions upon billions of individual ants. You know, that sounds quite allot like the cities that we're so fond of building. Ants settle in one place, and convert the environment to suit them as best as they are able. In a forest, or beneath one of our own cities, they create a home.

Ants don't just use these underground hives for shelter, they grow their own food sources in the deep tunnels. By harvesting loose organic material above, ants cultivate different molds and such that they use as a steady supply of food. They are capable of having a permanent home.

Not only capable of growing food, some ant colonies even domesticate other insects to help provide food. A good example is the aphid. Some colonies will gather and domesticate these small leaf bugs. They nurture and protect the small creatures as they feed on leaves near the nest, then milk them for a sweet fluid. They protect them from predators, and keep them herded together.


Wars. Some people say, that humans are the only species that organizes the mass slaughter of itself. Well, ants do too. When nests collide over resources or space, they will fight to the death for their own people. Not just isolated conflicts, but colony invasions, armies in the billions colliding against each other on a scale that's quite difficult to imagine.



So, now common arguments.

"Ants have no brain"

Okay, now what does that have to do with achievements? Dolphins are smart, wonderful. Do dolphins build cities? Nope. They still hunt for food, they don't change their environment.

"Its all instinct"

Its gotta come from somewhere. Every creature relies on instincts for survival. We didn't get to where we are without them either.


The bottom line is, they don't think like us. They aren't built like us. But they do exist like us. They change their environment to suit them, use their environment, and fight amongst themselves for resources in the environment. They may not be as advanced as us, but they're definitely in second place.