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Leaf cutters are amazing animals. When they leave their burrows for the treetops, they devour everything in their way, leaving a very noticeable trail, even through the thick rainforest.

In today's Chat Room session, we were joined by Dan Lorbeske. Students asked him what his favorite animal in the rainforest is. Surprisingly Dan answered that one of his favorite animals found in the rainforest are Bullet Ants. Bullet Ants are huge ants and are named after the fierce bite they inflict. Bullet Ants are poisonous ants found throughout the South American and Central American rainforest. They do live in Costa Rica, but they probably are less common than in Brazil or Colombia.

 

Some of my favorite insects found in Costa Rica are the Leaf Cutter Ants. Leaf Cutter ants are nature's natural recycler. Leaf cutter ants live in huge colonies made up of millions of individuals. They work as a team, where each individual ant has a specific role in the ant colony.

When the leaf-cutters decide on a particular tree, they march up the tree and begin chewing. Leaf cutter ants use their sharp teeth to cut holes in the leaves of the trees (this doesn't kill the tree). The ants take the leaf-cuttings deep into their burrow, where the leaf begins to decompose and grow fungus that the ants then eat. It actually becomes like a tiny compost pile. But, the ant isn't the only organism that gets fed from the fungus. The soil, the trees, plants, and other animals all benefit from the leaf cutter ant's hard work.