H


undreds of fat, white worms squirm in a


nest under the ground. T ese worms have no eyes. T ey have no legs. T ey can barely raise their heads. Helpless, they wait in the dark. Suddenly, ants crawl into the nest. T ey’re


giants compared to the worms. T e ants step on the worms with their clawed feet. T en one ant stops. It lowers its head. It opens its sharp jaws just above a wiggly worm. Don’t worry. T e ant is not about to eat the


worm. Instead, the ant licks it. It’s giving the worm a bath. T e ants also feed and protect the worms. T at’s because these worms aren’t worms at all. T ey’re family.


Odd Babies T e worms are newborn ants, or larvae. Larvae


are the young form of some kinds of animals. Many insects start life as larvae. So do some amphibians and sea creatures. When the young hatch from eggs, they look


nothing like their parents. T ey oſt en have diff erent body parts. For example, adult ants have legs, eyes, and antennae. Insect larvae grow these new parts during a second stage of life. T ey’re called pupae then. Larvae may live in diff erent


habitats than their parents. For instance, newt tadpoles live in water. As these amphibians grow, legs and lungs sprout. T e newts crawl out of the water and move onto land. Larvae also may eat diff erent food


than their parents. Take a caterpillar. It munches on leaves. T en it changes into a butterfl y or a moth. An adult may sip nectar, or eat nothing at all.


Adult ants carry an ant pupa.


4 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORER


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