Over 200 kg (440 lb) Aluminium Casting of a Meat Ant Nest - Iridomyrmex purpureus - 2015/10/19

Aluminium Casting of a Meat Ant Nest (Iridomyrmex purpureus).
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This casting was quite the challenge. It was a mound with 36 entrances. These entrances are generally thought to be separate parts of the same nest, this video shows that it is not so for this nest. Many of them were connected underground. After casting and excavating the nest the next problem was getting something that size, weight and fragility from hanging over a hole onto a ute. After which we drove for an hour to move it to its resting place.

Meat ants are quite amazing. They can form super colonies covering a number of kilometres and housing thousands of ants. They can strip a carcass clean of all meat, preforming vital environmental work. Meat ants will also create foraging trails, easily visible due to the absence of vegetation, and ants will forage on these to trees they favour most. The trees are an important source of food and water, especially when days are hot and dry.

Meat Ants are Australia’s most successful ant.
Cast Dimensions:
Weight: Over 200 kg (440 lbs)
Height: 1000 mm (39")
Length: 1500 mm (59")
Width: 1500 mm (59")

Music:
"The Complex"
Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Видео Over 200 kg (440 lb) Aluminium Casting of a Meat Ant Nest - Iridomyrmex purpureus - 2015/10/19 канала Australian Ant Art