<P> Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and , along with the related wasps and bees , belong to the order Hymenoptera . Ants evolved from wasp - like ancestors in the Cretaceous period , about 99 million years ago , and diversified after the rise of flowering plants . More than 12,500 of an estimated total of 22,000 species have been classified . They are easily identified by their elbowed antennae and the distinctive node - like structure that forms their slender waists . </P>
<P> Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and , along with the related wasps and bees , belong to the order Hymenoptera . Ants evolved from wasp - like ancestors in the Cretaceous period , about 99 million years ago , and diversified after the rise of flowering plants . More than 12,500 of an estimated total of 22,000 species have been classified . They are easily identified by their elbowed antennae and the distinctive node - like structure that forms their slender waists . </P>
is an ant an insect or an animal
is an ant an insect or an animal
insects
insects