Spending all day watching ant cams and ant videos sounds like the perfect day to us so we created this collection of the most amazing ant footage on the internet. Many of the ant videos are made by people who make a LOT of amazing ant videos so while we have only featured one of their videos; you can definitely find more online.
You will also find some resources at the bottom of this article for anyone keep to start their own ant farm.
Ant Cams
Leaf Cutter Live WebCam
The Houston Zoo has a live leafcutter ant cam which is turned on from around 10pm Brisbane time to 10am Brisbane time. You can watch it here. The zoo also offers a range of other zoo cams making it easier for kids to visit the zoo even when they are at home!
Ant videos
Life in the Mangroves
BBC with Sir David Attenborough. Sir David Attenborough researches the life of ants in Australian mangroves and what happens as the tide line drops. Youtube (will need to skip ads) approx 4 minute video
Ant Room Tour | Big Headed Ants
A video by Ants Australia. An Australian video showing the inner workings of an ant colony from where it all started to where it is today with over 10,000 ants. They also have an online shop for anyone interested in starting their own ant farm! Youtube (will need to skip ads) approx 5 minute video
Ants Australia has dozens of different videos you can find on YouTube
Asian Marauder Ants
A video by Ants Canada. This video shows the remarkable startup of an at-home ant colony. The video shows the ants being introduced to their incredible new surroundings with macro footage and narration. It’s a YouTube video so there are ads and its a long one at around 26 minutes but worth every minute. Ants Canada has dozens of different videos you can find on YouTube
How Ant Stinger Work
A video by Dr Adrian Smith. This viral video shows exactly how the ant stinger works and actually shows an ant stinging someone in slow motion with macro video. It even shows the venom leaving the ant stinger! Youtube (will need to skip ads) approx 3 minute video
The Amazing World of Ants
A video by Animalogic. This is like an Ant 101 video. Really good for kids who want to learn more about the history and workings of ants. This would be a good video to have the kids watch and report their findings. On Youtube, no beginning adverts to skip but did have a small popup you will need to remove. Approx 7 minutes long.
Dinosaur Ants Vs Trap Jaw Ants
A video by Monster Bug Wars. Exactly as it sounds, a war of two different types of ants. Best for older kids who don’t mind a bit of bug warfare. Youtube (will need to skip ads) approx 7 minute video
Inside the Ant Colony
A video by Deborah M Gordon for Ted Ex. This video is an illustrated explanation of ant behaviour and even ties into a lesson plan if you happen to have an ant colony on hand. Even if you don’t you can still watch the experiment here. It shows how ants adjust to microgravity and how this might lead to better robots. A fantastic citizen science project for those with ant farms (or to observe for those without). Youtube (will need to skip ads) approx 5 minute video
Get your own ant farm
Before you make the decision to get an ant farm, make sure you do a lot of research. You can try and collect your own ants or you can get an ant farmer to provide you with a queen to start you off.
Equipment (including ants)
The Ant Keeping Depot https://www.antkeepingdepot.com/collections/aus-ants
Ants Everything https://www.antseverything.com.au
Ants online https://www.antsonline.com.au/
Learn how to keep an ant farm
Ants Canada https://www.antscanada.com/starting-your-ant-colony/
Aus Ants https://ausants.net/tutorials
Ant Keepers https://www.antkeepers.com/keeping-ants/formicariums/tank/
Books about ant farms
These are affiliate links & if you buy one of these books we will get a small commission
Ant Farms – The Ultimate Formicarium Handbook : Detailed Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up a Thriving Ant Colony Your step-by-step guide to keeping and raising ants.
Ant Farming: How to Start and Grow Your Own Ant Colony A Complete Guide to Ant Farming
Fun facts about ants
- Leaf-cutter ants grow fungus in their nest on the leaves that they drag there and this is what they eat! They are one of only four groups of animal on Earth believed to have discovered agriculture
- There are estimated to be over 10,000 ant species worldwide
- Ants are about to work together as a hive, talking through chemicals they excrete
- Ant’s hear via vibrations in the ground
- When the Queen dies, the colony dies.
- Ants can lift 10-50 times their body weight
- Ants are as old as dinosaurs. The biggest ant fossil ever found was about 6cm long!
We hope you enjoyed watching the videos as much as we enjoyed researching this resource. How amazing are ants!
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