Army Ant Empire: What Happens When 20 Million Soldiers Attack? | Wild Survival

[00:00:00]As dawn breaks over the neotropical rainforest, the forest floor remains quiet.

[00:00:09]But beneath the damp leaf litter, a massive collective force is beginning to stir.

[00:00:16]Suspended between the roots of an ancient tree, hangs a living [music] structure.

[00:00:24]This is the bivouac.

[00:00:27]As the forest [music] floor warms, a chemical signal cascades through the living walls.

[00:00:35]The first scouts emerge into the open air.

[00:00:48]They are blind, guided only by the chemical traces of those who went before.

[00:00:56]The trickle becomes a torrent. Within minutes, a dense column of [music] workers pours from the remnants of the nest.

[00:01:10]Flanking the column, massive soldiers take their positions. Armed with long, sickle-shaped jaws, their sole task [music] is defense.

[00:01:20]A forest cricket, sensing the vibrations, freezes. In this environment, any movement could invite disaster.

[00:01:29]Dozens of workers clamp onto its limbs, using their weight to pin the giant to the ground.

[00:01:36]Soldiers [music] arrive to deliver powerful bites, slicing through muscle and joint to disable the prey's defenses.

[00:01:53]The prey is quickly dismantled. Portions are carved into manageable pieces, ready to be carried [music] back to the colony.

[00:02:05]A wandering [music] spider retreats up a nearby tree trunk to escape the rising tide.

[00:02:12]But the ants are relentless climbers.

[00:02:15]They scale the vertical bark, cutting off every route of escape. Trapped on a high branch, a whip spider attempts to defend itself.

[00:02:25]>> [music] >> They begin to link bodies, creating a living bridge.

[00:02:31]A constant flow of empty jawed workers moves [music] forward, while successful hunters carry prey back.

[00:02:40]The tropical afternoon brings sudden change.

[00:02:46]To protect the vulnerable larva, the workers [music] form emergency shelters.

[00:02:53]As quickly as it began, the rain [music] stops.

[00:02:56]The forest floor steams in the humid heat, and the raid immediately resumes.

[00:03:02]But the rain has created new obstacles.

[00:03:05]A rushing streamlet of water now cuts directly through the main raiding path.

[00:03:11]At the narrowest point, the lead workers begin to self-assemble.

[00:03:17]The bridge holds. Above the dangerous torrent, a steady flow of workers crosses safely to resume the hunt on the opposite [music] bank. Here resides the queen.

[00:03:28]She is the mother of all 20 million.

[00:03:32]Constantly groomed and fed, her survival is the colony's ultimate purpose.

[00:03:38]Nearby, nursery chambers hold millions of developing larvae.

[00:03:42]These hungry mouths are the driving force behind the daily raids.

[00:03:49]As the tropical sun begins to dip below the horizon, the temperature drops.

[00:03:57]>> [music] >> As night seals the canopy, a different world awakens on [music] the forest floor.

[00:04:05]Deep inside the living nest, a collective decision is reached. The resources [music] of this area are depleted.

[00:04:13]It is time to move.

[00:04:16]Pheromone signals spread along the ground, tracing a path to a new territory.

[00:04:21]Millions of ants pour out into the night, carrying the colony's entire wealth with them.

[00:04:29]Every larva and pupa must be transported. The workers cradle the delicate, [music] soft-bodied young, protecting them from the rough terrain.

[00:04:39]Now, the most critical moment of the migration begins. The queen must leave the safety of the nest.

[00:04:47]She does not travel alone.

[00:04:53]But the forest night is full of eyes. A giant forest [music] toad detects the massive movement and prepares to exploit the opportunity.

[00:05:03]With a rapid strike of its tongue, the predator [music] sweeps up dozens of workers. But the colony's response is immediate and coordinated. Soldiers scale the predator's legs, [music] driving their stings and jaws into its sensitive skin. Overwhelmed by the painful counteroffensive, the predator retreats, leading the column to resume its march.

[00:05:26]The march continues for hours through the wet, unpredictable terrain.

[00:05:33]Before the first light of dawn, the scouts locate [music] a suitable sanctuary, a deep hollow beneath a decaying root system.

[00:05:42]The workers immediately begin to rebuild. [music] Once again, they link their bodies, forming the first chambers of a new bivouac.

[00:05:50]The queen enters the half-formed [music] nest, secure once more within her living fortress.

[00:05:57]With the migration complete, the colony enters a quiet phase.

[00:06:01]For the next 3 weeks, they will remain stationary.

[00:06:06]Inside the nest, the larvae prepare for their final transformation. They spin delicate silk cocoons, entering the pupal stage.

[00:06:18]While the pupae develop, the queen prepares for her primary [music] task.

[00:06:22]Her abdomen swells to twice its normal size, filled with the next generation of eggs.

[00:06:30]Over the next week, she will lay more than 100,000 eggs.

[00:06:37]The eggs are gathered into neat clusters, meticulously tended by specialized nurses who keep them warm and clean.

[00:06:45]>> [music] >> Outside the nest, the forest floor shows the ecological impact of the colony's presence.

[00:06:53]As the 3 weeks pass, the next generation is ready to emerge.

[00:06:59]The newly emerged ants are pale and soft.

[00:07:04]Within days, their cuticles turn to a dark protective armor.

[00:07:12]The eggs laid by the queen hatch into a new batch of hungry larva.

[00:07:18]The cycle of hunger returns.

[00:07:20]The statary phase is over.

[00:07:23]The bivouac begins to stir once more [music] as the scouts prepare to lead the colony into a new territory.

[00:07:31]The columns form again, wider and more powerful than before.

[00:07:36]The army ant empire is ready to reclaim the forest floor.

[00:07:45]On the forest floor, the cycle of the empire remains unbroken.