Date: Thu, 4 Feb 1999 15:01:39 -0500
From: Aaron Micheau <amaarchy-AT-compuserve.com>
Subject: Re: baby food


Message text written by "K Kinkel"
>
>I've been thinking very little lately about ants.  Don't they survive 
>and even thrive in just about every environment that we do?  And 
>certainly their survival as a species (or group of species?) is 
>exceptionally long term (in relation to us).<

i guess ants live in every non-arctic zone on the planet. and non
aquatic-surface environment.  i could be wrong, though.  like you said,
certain species occupy certain environments.  i don't think any one ant
species covers all environments. As to biomass, i think i heard that
insects' biomass is more than human biomass.  Ants themselves... anyone?

on the subject of arthropods and killing for pleasure, does anyone have an
explanation for mantids and  black widow spiders and such killing male
mates after copulation?  Since it has to do with sex, is there an argument
for pleasure killing there? i've always wondered...

-apm