Tales from the Ant World
- Downloads：4573
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-01-03 02:16:14
- Update Date：2025-09-24
- Status：finish
- Author：Edward O. Wilson
- ISBN：1324091096
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
In Tales from the Ant World， two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Edward O。 Wilson takes us on a thrilling myrmecological tour across continents and through time， inviting us into his decades-long scientific obsession with ants。 Animating his observations with personal stories， Wilson hones in on twenty-five ant species to explain how these creatures talk， smell， taste， and crucially， how they fight to determine dominance。 Richly illustrated throughout with depictions of ant species and photos from Wilson’s own expeditions， Tales from the Ant World is a fascinating personal account from one of our greatest scientists—and a necessary volume for any lover of the natural world。
Reviews
Cody McCoy
，
E。 O。 Wilson was a hero of mine。 I did my graduate work down the hall from his office， and got to meet him once。 We had a memorable conversation about New Caledonia （where I used to do field work and where he looked for — and found！ — the rare New Caledonian Bull Ant）。 His office was located in a little hallway between the museum and the newly renovated Center for the Environment。 As the building was renovated and modernized all around him， his office hallway remained completely untouched。 Every E。 O。 Wilson was a hero of mine。 I did my graduate work down the hall from his office， and got to meet him once。 We had a memorable conversation about New Caledonia （where I used to do field work and where he looked for — and found！ — the rare New Caledonian Bull Ant）。 His office was located in a little hallway between the museum and the newly renovated Center for the Environment。 As the building was renovated and modernized all around him， his office hallway remained completely untouched。 Every time I walked through his hallway， I’d emerge from the glistening white renovated halls into a comfortable hardwood-floored area filled with museum shelving， jam-packed bookshelves， laboratory facilities， and （I swear！） the subtle smell of ants。 The untouched hallway was an homage to his brilliance and a metaphor for his immense contributions to biology。 Amidst the wonders of the molecular revolution， we still need biodiversity-based work and discovery-based science。 We still need E。 O。 Wilsons。 He changed the world。This book was excellent。 I learned so much about the strange behavior and biology of particular ants。 The army ant Eciton burchelli forms fan-shaped hunting parties to sweep sections of the forest and kill everything in their path。 If they encounter water or a crevice， the worker ants link jaws and legs to make a living bridge。 The successful invasive fire ant Solenopsis invicta deals with floods by forming huge rafts out of their bodies， and placing the queen， larvae， and juveniles on top of the raft to float to safety。 While being filmed for a TV program， Wilson impulsively stuck his hand into a fire ant nest。 It was， he reported， “as though I had poured kerosene on my hand and lit it。”The most timid of all the ants is Dolichoderus imitator， which freezes or hides upon discovery， snatching up larvae and juveniles to carry them to safety。 This habit makes them nearly impossible to see and study in the field。 Wilson says that ants are as “mean as they have to be in order to protect their home。” Ants who live on resource rich places are aggressive。 Wilson writes “the most vicious ants in the world are， in my thoroughly bitten， stung， and formic-acid-sprayed judgment， the epiphyte garden-ants， Camponotus femoratus”。 These Amazon canopy dwellers build spherical gardens out of plant materials where they farm cattle— scale insects and mealybugs— to give them sugar excrement and sometimes protein rich meat meals。 Eusociality has evolved at least 17 times， and nowhere with more diversity than in the ants。 Ants have evolved to be flying squirrels， cattle farmers， aquatic scavengers， map-readers （who use the tree canopy as a map）， gardeners， suicidal soldiers， and more。Ants are brilliant navigators。 One ant， Paltothyreus species， finds its way by looking up at the tree canopy and orienting based on the patterns observed。 If the homing ant Cataglyphis bicolor gets lost， it “does not perform a random walk but adopts a stereotyped search strategy。 During its search the ant performs a number of loops of ever-increasing size， starting and ending at the origin and pointing at different azimuthal directions。 This strategy ensures that the center area， where the nest is most likely to be， is the one investigated most intensively。” Humorously Wilson discovered this same strategy to get himself un-lost in field expeditions。 I can’t resist sharing another cool anecdote。 If an ant dies， its sisters carry the body to the refuse pile。 It turns out they identify dead comrades by smell。 Wilson tricked the ants by daubing certain individuals worth a funereal scent。 Their sisters carried them， live and kicking， go the refuse pile！！— where they took a good bath and rejoined the world of the living。 Wilson describes the following research strategy， which I hope to take to heart as I continue my career: “For every problem in biology there exists a species ideal for its solution， and conversely， for every species there exists a problem its study is ideal to solve。” 。。。more
Christopher Castoro
，
Loved iteminently readable。 Wilson recently died， after a long and fruitful career。 Consider this book if you have any interest in natural history。
Maggie
，
I don’t read many non-fiction books， and I really dislike ants （we don’t get along）， but I had this book on my to read list after reading an article about E。O。 Wilson in the Bitter Southerner。 He died in the last couple of weeks and it seemed like a good time to pick it up。 I listened to it on my road trip to a new job。 I think what struck me was how different the world was when he started his work to what it is now。 And， wow， he has been to so many places to study ants。 He had remarkable storie I don’t read many non-fiction books， and I really dislike ants （we don’t get along）， but I had this book on my to read list after reading an article about E。O。 Wilson in the Bitter Southerner。 He died in the last couple of weeks and it seemed like a good time to pick it up。 I listened to it on my road trip to a new job。 I think what struck me was how different the world was when he started his work to what it is now。 And， wow， he has been to so many places to study ants。 He had remarkable stories about them。 I admittedly zoned in and out while driving， but each chapter seemed to operate as a different story， so it didn’t bother me if I missed a few details。 I still don’t like ants， but they are impressive and I think I am right to fear them and E。O？ Wilson was an interesting character to learn about。 Also， let’s go ladies- the male ants are basically useless and the female ants run the colonies。 。。。more
Rae
，
Fire ants。 Army ants。 Matriarchy。 Pheromones。 Wilson died this month。
Patrick Markey
，
Loved it。 Short and concise introduction to the wonderfully strange world of the ants （with some added stories from the authors life）。 Tragically， I finished the book exactly the day that Wilson died。
Rock
，
This guy ain't exactly Aldo Leopold， but he does know a lot about ants and is usually entertaining as he tells you about them and about his life studying them。 This guy ain't exactly Aldo Leopold， but he does know a lot about ants and is usually entertaining as he tells you about them and about his life studying them。 。。。more
ETTORE MENGUZZO
，
This is fascinating book and introduction to the ant's world from one of the greates scientist on earth。 This said， my "3 stars" evaluation is not about the content or the writes's English and prose。 It's a collection of short chapters which are not giving enough info。 They let you curious and unsatisfied like a dinner without wine and cakes。However the goal is scored: I want to get deeper in the matter。 SO。。。 thanks， E。O。 Wilson。 This is fascinating book and introduction to the ant's world from one of the greates scientist on earth。 This said， my "3 stars" evaluation is not about the content or the writes's English and prose。 It's a collection of short chapters which are not giving enough info。 They let you curious and unsatisfied like a dinner without wine and cakes。However the goal is scored: I want to get deeper in the matter。 SO。。。 thanks， E。O。 Wilson。 。。。more
Kaitlyn Zeichick
，
I had no idea how interesting or diverse ants were until I read this book。 It was wonderfully written。 Although I can’t say the names of any of the ants stuck with me， things like the imagery of an ant in the desert walking in progressively larger circles to find home when lost did stick。
Brian Cloutier
，
Exactly what it says， a collection of tales; these were clearly written independently and later collected into a book。 They are quite good tales though， a meandering journey through the many different kinds of ants and what lives they live。
Benjamin
，
This book definitely reads as a memoir。 Wilson's writing is very readable。 However， it is awkward at times in terms of grammatical syntax; just the type of writing I'd expect from a charming scientist。 I do find it odd that he has a habit of injecting some odd sidenotes from time to time （maybe he should write a separate book about ant aliens coming to visit planet earth）。This book has inspired me to more closely observe the complex society ants on my front porch。 I just wish it was a more in-de This book definitely reads as a memoir。 Wilson's writing is very readable。 However， it is awkward at times in terms of grammatical syntax; just the type of writing I'd expect from a charming scientist。 I do find it odd that he has a habit of injecting some odd sidenotes from time to time （maybe he should write a separate book about ant aliens coming to visit planet earth）。This book has inspired me to more closely observe the complex society ants on my front porch。 I just wish it was a more in-depth look at myrmecology rather than a compendium of myrmecological extremes。 Still， it's a short， enjoyable book。 。。。more
Hayley
，
Who knew I so narrowly avoided possible death when sitting in a pile of fire ants as a toddler （I still have the scars， though）！ Fascinating and easy read - I've read a lot of nature books and few have managed to present the information to laymen in such an accessable way。 I'm Who knew I so narrowly avoided possible death when sitting in a pile of fire ants as a toddler （I still have the scars， though）！ Fascinating and easy read - I've read a lot of nature books and few have managed to present the information to laymen in such an accessable way。 I'm 。。。more
Matt
，
There's a lot of really cool stories about ants in this book。 I liked hearing about different ants that live in caves and trees， ants that farm and keep livestock， ones that are fast and ones that are slow， ants that are parasites and ants that keep slaves， etc。 The different kinds of adaptations are incredible and the facts are well told。 There's a lot of really cool stories about ants in this book。 I liked hearing about different ants that live in caves and trees， ants that farm and keep livestock， ones that are fast and ones that are slow， ants that are parasites and ants that keep slaves， etc。 The different kinds of adaptations are incredible and the facts are well told。 。。。more
James Foster
，
I’ve read everything E。 O。 Wilson has written， including his technical works such as Sociobiology and “The Ants”， his philosophical “Consilience”， his various memoirs， and even his novel “Anthill”。 I am sad to say it isn’t as fun as it used to be。“Tales from the Ant World” is a collection of essays on the same things that Wilson’s other recent collections of essays are about: ants are very cool， he has had some real adventures， and group selection is a thing。 At this point， if you doubt either o I’ve read everything E。 O。 Wilson has written， including his technical works such as Sociobiology and “The Ants”， his philosophical “Consilience”， his various memoirs， and even his novel “Anthill”。 I am sad to say it isn’t as fun as it used to be。“Tales from the Ant World” is a collection of essays on the same things that Wilson’s other recent collections of essays are about: ants are very cool， he has had some real adventures， and group selection is a thing。 At this point， if you doubt either of the first two， you haven’t been paying attention。 If you care about the third and are already convinced， you don’t need this book （and you’re probably not up on the evolutionary biology literature）。There seems to be a trend as prolific， influential scientists get older to dust off the boxes of stuff they’re written but not published， clip them together， an send them off to their agent， where they are sure to turn into a book， albeit a very skinny one。I hate to say it。 But this volume is stale and tired。 。。。more
Sally
，
3 stars for information， 2-1/2 stars for enjoyment。 The way he treated ants you could tell that while he respected them as a life form and field of study， he had no sympathy for them as lives or individuals。
Michael
，
Light and breezy， as if Wilson were across the campfire， reminiscing。 His style makes it possible for a layman to take in a good amount of information。 Personally， I don’t love ants， but I like reading about them when Wilson writes。
Dewayne Stark
，
I live in the Arizona mountains surrounded by ant nests。 In was only natural to take this book from the shelf of our tiny library。 There is so much of the mystery of ants explained in this small book。
Livio Leoni
，
Così poco tempo， così tante formiche （15。000 specie almeno）。 Potremmo scherzosamente riassumere così questo libro di uno dei più grandi naturalisti di ogni tempo， Edward O。 Wilson。 I ventisei capitoli presentano vicende personali legate ad alcune specie di formiche o aspetti peculiari di questi insetti。 Conosceremo quindi le formiche di fuoco， le legionarie， le formiche guerriere， le formiche schiaviste， le tagliafoglie （a queste è dedicato un precedente volume） e le formiche infernali che domin Così poco tempo， così tante formiche （15。000 specie almeno）。 Potremmo scherzosamente riassumere così questo libro di uno dei più grandi naturalisti di ogni tempo， Edward O。 Wilson。 I ventisei capitoli presentano vicende personali legate ad alcune specie di formiche o aspetti peculiari di questi insetti。 Conosceremo quindi le formiche di fuoco， le legionarie， le formiche guerriere， le formiche schiaviste， le tagliafoglie （a queste è dedicato un precedente volume） e le formiche infernali che dominavano la Terra ai tempi dei dinosauri。Una lettura meno tecnica rispetto ad altri volumi dello scienziato， ma ugualmente godibile e avvincente。 。。。more
Ingrid
，
Part cool ant facts， part myrmecological memoir。 Wilson provides plenty of interesting information that will give you a new appreciation for ants， but I don’t tend to enjoy when authors mix memoir into books about science， and I didn’t enjoy it here。 Kristen Orr’s illustrations are beautifully detailed， though there are a couple of species that the book discusses at some length without including an accompanying illustration。
Jerry Hillyer
，
I listened to the audio version via Hoopla。 Simply a delightful book。。。humorous， adventure packed， and even the audio grew on me。 Liked it so much， I ordered it from Amazon before I finished it。 An outstanding book。
Molly
，
As many fun facts as there are ants in a colony。。。 where to start？ The war on the fire ants， fire ant rafts， the ants of New Caledonia， the ants of the dinosaurs， etc。 Though the sections about behavior were the most interesting。 There was a chapter towards the end that was so violent I had to shut it down- real ants are ruthless， vicious shadows of their cartoon selves。
Jonathan Haley
，
Grandpa pins you down for a few hours to you tells stories about digging around for ants in various parts of the world。 Unfortunately， not much of interest seems to have happened。
Clarke
，
A delightful listen！
Paul Callahan
，
Did you know that almost every ant you’ve ever seen is a female？ Well， they are called ants， not uncles！😎 fascinating stories from the insect world by one of the great myrmecologists of his day。
Katy
，
Mr。 Wilson， let me count the ways…such an incredible biologist， researcher and thinker but this one fell flat。 Some interesting tales from the field but none of them went in depth enough to create a lasting impression。 A few even came across as incredibly arrogant， which he deserves to be considering his influence in his field， but I think there was probably a better way to relate what he wanted to say。 It just felt like a way to sell another book。 Anyone who knows me knows I have a thing for an Mr。 Wilson， let me count the ways…such an incredible biologist， researcher and thinker but this one fell flat。 Some interesting tales from the field but none of them went in depth enough to create a lasting impression。 A few even came across as incredibly arrogant， which he deserves to be considering his influence in his field， but I think there was probably a better way to relate what he wanted to say。 It just felt like a way to sell another book。 Anyone who knows me knows I have a thing for ants but this one was definitely a disappointing read。 。。。more
Lubna
，
This is a great introduction to ants， but I felt it was a bit too general and simplistic。 The author does say at the beginning that his aim is to write a book that is accessible to all， and he certainly achieves this aim in the book。 It has made me want to know more about ants， which are some of the most fascinating creatures on the planet。 They’re really impressive。 The author’s style is very readable， he manages to make the subject of ants incredibly interesting。 Definitely going to seek out h This is a great introduction to ants， but I felt it was a bit too general and simplistic。 The author does say at the beginning that his aim is to write a book that is accessible to all， and he certainly achieves this aim in the book。 It has made me want to know more about ants， which are some of the most fascinating creatures on the planet。 They’re really impressive。 The author’s style is very readable， he manages to make the subject of ants incredibly interesting。 Definitely going to seek out his other books for more about ants。 。。。more
Jordan DeMott
，
Subterranean dynasties Like Grandpa’s war stories in insect format。 Tales from the ant world peers into the much overlooked kingdoms of our unseen overlords。
Pam
，
I like reading about people and their passions -- ants are certainly his。 My favorite parts of the book were when he incorporates stories of his life， e。g。， his Southern childhood， with the ants he was involved with。 But I could also appreciate the parts focused more exclusively on ants -- they are pretty amazing creatures。
Ellen Cantarow
，
Has to be one of greatest popular animal studiesThis study of a transfixing diversity of various species of ants reads like a memoir， which it actually is， tracing E。O。 Wilson’s studies of ants from boyhood to the present。 For all those seeking insights into the miraculous feats of our planet’s life in its evolution and complexity， this is a must-read。 Ants are social creatures with a fascinating degree of specialization that keeps their colonies flourishing。 Wilson shows how a number of species Has to be one of greatest popular animal studiesThis study of a transfixing diversity of various species of ants reads like a memoir， which it actually is， tracing E。O。 Wilson’s studies of ants from boyhood to the present。 For all those seeking insights into the miraculous feats of our planet’s life in its evolution and complexity， this is a must-read。 Ants are social creatures with a fascinating degree of specialization that keeps their colonies flourishing。 Wilson shows how a number of species does this and how different from humans， even while social， these ubiquitous insects are。 。。。more
David
，
I was expecting and hoping for a general A to Z about ants with a few offbeat tidbits thrown in for good measure。 The book is mostly tidbits and that was disappointing to me。 As I read the book I imagined how much more I would have enjoyed the perspective of a curious outsider， someone like John McPhee who has the ability to capture the wonder of the quotidian and elevate it in quirky and informative ways。Dr。 Wilson may be the world's foremost authority on the subject of ants so you certainly ca I was expecting and hoping for a general A to Z about ants with a few offbeat tidbits thrown in for good measure。 The book is mostly tidbits and that was disappointing to me。 As I read the book I imagined how much more I would have enjoyed the perspective of a curious outsider， someone like John McPhee who has the ability to capture the wonder of the quotidian and elevate it in quirky and informative ways。Dr。 Wilson may be the world's foremost authority on the subject of ants so you certainly can't go wrong with what he has to say。 I just wish he had been a resource rather than the author。The 3 star rating simply represents my enjoyment of the book （it was good） rather than the quality of the information。 。。。more
Coloradobetta
，
Clearly EO Wilson is the world-renowned expert on ants。 I just wish the book was organized a bit differently。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Tales from the Ant World
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Tales from the Ant World&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft