Ants are all the insects of the tribeFormicidae, the Hymenoptera. Ants have more than 12,000 species (species), mostly living in the tropics. Most of the ants are known as social insects, with their colonies and regular nests consisting of thousands of ants per colony. Members of the colony are divided into worker ants, male ants, and queen ants. There may also be a group of guard ants. One colony can dominate a large area to support their lives. Ant colonies are sometimes called "superorganisms" because of their colonies that form a unity.
Despite its relatively small size, the ants are among the strongest animals in the world. Male ants are able to sustain loads weighing fifty times their own body weight, comparable to elephants that are only able to sustain loads weighing twice the weight of their own body. Ants are rivaled only by rhinoceros beetles capable of sustaining loads weighing 850 times their own body weight.
Formic acid is also called "acid ant" because the ants produce this acid as a self-defense tool.