Free Printable Ant Coloring Pages

Ants are small insects that are found throughout the world. They are known for carrying objects much heavier and bigger than themselves. Ants are social insects. They live in organized communities, work cooperatively and efficiently, create a clear division of labor, wage war, and occasionally capture slaves.

Ants belong to the order Hymenoptera, which also includes bees and wasps. Ants constitute the family Formicidae, which has more than10,000 species. Entomologists, or scientists who study insects, have estimated that there are probably more ants than any other kind of insect. Ants have been in existence for more than 100 million years, and they probably evolved from wasps.

Ants occur throughout the world but are particularly abundant in hot climates. They have traveled from their original home, the tropics, to areas as varied as the polar regions, mountain ranges, and deserts. They make their nests in many materials, including soil, sand, wood, and leaves.

Despite their great diversity in social behavior and habits, most ants have the same basic physical structure. They range in size from 0.08 to 1 inch (2 to 25 millimeters). They are usually yellow, brown, red, or black. A few have a metallic luster.

The bodies of ants, like those of all insects, are divided into three sections: the head, the thorax, and the abdomen. The head is large, and the abdomen is slender and oval. The six legs are attached to the thorax, or midsection. The thorax is connected to the abdomen by a small “waist” section. The ant’s vital organs are located in the abdomen.