ant fact archive

Christine Elfman, Cave, 2024

Christine Elfman

Cave
2024
aded lichen dye on paper (unfixed anthotype)
21×21 cm
courtesy of the artist

Ants97 invented agriculture. They have been cultivating mushrooms in their underground gardens for 66 million years.98, 99

  • Various fungus-farming lineages in the subfamily Myrmicinae
  • After the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs, Earth was a dark and moist place, with rotting plants everywhere: perfect conditions for fungi.
  • Schultz et al. 2024