Leafcutter ants are tropical, fungus-growing ants all endemic to South and Central America, Mexico and parts of the southern US. Â
Leafcutter ants cut and process fresh vegetation (leaves, flowers, and grasses) to serve as the nutritional substrate for their fungal cultivars.
Next to humans, leafcutter ants form the largest and most complex animal societies on Earth.
These ants can be seen carrying their cut foliage in moving trails which often stretch over 30 metres (100 feet) across the forest floor and up and down the trunks of canopy trees.