Ants
Chris Packham explores what makes animal groups successful. He looks at how the globe's 100 trillion ants have colonised the planet like no other.
The 100 trillion ants in the world weigh as much as all the people on earth and have colonised the planet like no other animal.
Chris Packham explores the ingenious ways in which ants have collaborated to achieve their global success - natural air-conditioning systems keep ants cool in their nests, shelters made from their own bodies protect nomadic ants from the elements and a sense of smell five times more powerful than other insects allows them to overpower animals hundreds of times larger than themselves.
Remarkably, new research reveals how ant colonies are capable of immunising themselves against diseases.
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Clip
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Ants: fungus farmers
Duration: 02:00
Music Played
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Four Tet
This Unfolds
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Portico Quartet
Prickly Pair
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Arcane
Yodel 3
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Four Tet
Twenty Three
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Four Tet
This Unfolds
Credits
| Role | Contributor |
|---|---|
| Presenter | Chris Packham |
| Executive Producer | Jonny Keeling |
| Director | Francis Welch |
| Producer | Francis Welch |
| Series Producer | Aaron Paul |
Broadcasts
Wed 3 Sep 201420:00- Thu 4 Sep 201401:00
- Tue 9 Sep 201401:30
Sat 28 Feb 201517:30BBC Two except Scotland- Thu 5 Nov 201516:45
- Wed 13 Jul 201619:30
- Sat 3 Feb 201806:10
- Thu 10 Jan 201916:45
- Mon 29 Jul 201915:45
- Thu 2 Apr 202019:30
- Fri 3 Apr 202002:30
- Thu 11 Mar 202116:45BBC Two except Scotland
- Tue 28 Jun 202201:00
- Thu 3 Nov 202200:10BBC Two Wales & Wales HD only
- Wed 18 Jan 202316:45BBC Two except Scotland
- Sat 4 May 202416:30BBC Two except Northern Ireland & Scotland
- Thu 19 Dec 202419:30BBC Two Wales HD & Wales only
- Sat 29 Mar 202519:30BBC One Wales & Wales HD only
BBC Earth
Visit BBC Earth the new home of wildlife on the BBC
Wonder facts: The animals
Fact files on the animals featured in the series.
