Ant Fact of the Day:
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The real story of ant garnets should not be confused with the "Gold-digging ants" that Herodotus went on about these were probably not even ants.
"For in the parts where they live it is desert on account of the sand; and in this desert and sandy tract are produced ants, which are in size smaller than dogs but larger than foxes,"
- Herodotus
I'm so mad the fox-sized ants weren't real I'll never forgive him for this.
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"For in the parts where they live it is desert on account of the sand; and in this desert and sandy tract are produced ants, which are in size smaller than dogs but larger than foxes,"
- Herodotus
I'm so mad the fox-sized ants weren't real I'll never forgive him for this.
Large ant the size of a small ant.
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"For in the parts where they live it is desert on account of the sand; and in this desert and sandy tract are produced ants, which are in size smaller than dogs but larger than foxes,"
- Herodotus
I'm so mad the fox-sized ants weren't real I'll never forgive him for this.
@futurebird okay look a lot of what you say is cool but I am NOT down with fox-sized insects that it a terrifying thought!
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"For in the parts where they live it is desert on account of the sand; and in this desert and sandy tract are produced ants, which are in size smaller than dogs but larger than foxes,"
- Herodotus
I'm so mad the fox-sized ants weren't real I'll never forgive him for this.
@futurebird They SAY that this is somehow a mistranslation of "marmot".
But that's exactly what they would say if they were covering up giant gold-digging ants.
(So they could keep the gold for themselves, of course.)
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@futurebird They SAY that this is somehow a mistranslation of "marmot".
But that's exactly what they would say if they were covering up giant gold-digging ants.
(So they could keep the gold for themselves, of course.)
@futurebird anyway, Fox-sized ants would be cool, but they're not GIANT ants until I can ride one.
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"For in the parts where they live it is desert on account of the sand; and in this desert and sandy tract are produced ants, which are in size smaller than dogs but larger than foxes,"
- Herodotus
I'm so mad the fox-sized ants weren't real I'll never forgive him for this.
This got me googling giant bugs and then I learned about tarantula hawks and now nothing will be okay ever again.
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"For in the parts where they live it is desert on account of the sand; and in this desert and sandy tract are produced ants, which are in size smaller than dogs but larger than foxes,"
- Herodotus
I'm so mad the fox-sized ants weren't real I'll never forgive him for this.
@futurebird or maybe Herodotus was aware of some very small foxes?
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"For in the parts where they live it is desert on account of the sand; and in this desert and sandy tract are produced ants, which are in size smaller than dogs but larger than foxes,"
- Herodotus
I'm so mad the fox-sized ants weren't real I'll never forgive him for this.
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Ant Fact of the Day:
"Ant Garnets" are tiny red gems found by ants. I know this sounds made up ... but it's real.
Harvester ants dig deep nests (up to 6m!) and they bring the soil to the surface grain by grain. Sometimes they find garnets, tiny precious red gemstones.
These are waste to the ants: they end up in the spoil heap around the nest. When it rains, the lighter stone washes away, the garnets from deep in the earth remain.
Those in the know can collect them from the surface.
@futurebird You can buy them loose, but not set; they're usually small, under a quarter carat, and never faceted at that size. There are indigenous sites I think in Arizona where you can go pick them up yourself for a fee.
I've heard gem sellers call them "anthill garnets" and since garnets are all natural, never treated or enhanced, you have just your ant friend to thank.
Garnets were known for invisibility in battle and for strengthening your blood (vigor) and sex drive. -
Ant Fact of the Day:
"Ant Garnets" are tiny red gems found by ants. I know this sounds made up ... but it's real.
Harvester ants dig deep nests (up to 6m!) and they bring the soil to the surface grain by grain. Sometimes they find garnets, tiny precious red gemstones.
These are waste to the ants: they end up in the spoil heap around the nest. When it rains, the lighter stone washes away, the garnets from deep in the earth remain.
Those in the know can collect them from the surface.
I'm in the know where to collect them near Mallaig, Scotland.
I met a German geology PhD student while on holiday. I drove him around for a few days so he could take photos for his dissertation.
In return, he showed me where I could get garnets from shale.
1970, right after the amazing Isle of Wight music festival.
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Ant Fact of the Day:
"Ant Garnets" are tiny red gems found by ants. I know this sounds made up ... but it's real.
Harvester ants dig deep nests (up to 6m!) and they bring the soil to the surface grain by grain. Sometimes they find garnets, tiny precious red gemstones.
These are waste to the ants: they end up in the spoil heap around the nest. When it rains, the lighter stone washes away, the garnets from deep in the earth remain.
Those in the know can collect them from the surface.
@futurebird That’s so cool.
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Ant Fact of the Day:
"Ant Garnets" are tiny red gems found by ants. I know this sounds made up ... but it's real.
Harvester ants dig deep nests (up to 6m!) and they bring the soil to the surface grain by grain. Sometimes they find garnets, tiny precious red gemstones.
These are waste to the ants: they end up in the spoil heap around the nest. When it rains, the lighter stone washes away, the garnets from deep in the earth remain.
Those in the know can collect them from the surface.
@futurebird@sauropods.win apparently they're also primarily on native land only in Arizona, which is probably a very important political consideration to have!
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"For in the parts where they live it is desert on account of the sand; and in this desert and sandy tract are produced ants, which are in size smaller than dogs but larger than foxes,"
- Herodotus
I'm so mad the fox-sized ants weren't real I'll never forgive him for this.
@futurebird it is possible the Romans ate them all.
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Ant Fact of the Day:
"Ant Garnets" are tiny red gems found by ants. I know this sounds made up ... but it's real.
Harvester ants dig deep nests (up to 6m!) and they bring the soil to the surface grain by grain. Sometimes they find garnets, tiny precious red gemstones.
These are waste to the ants: they end up in the spoil heap around the nest. When it rains, the lighter stone washes away, the garnets from deep in the earth remain.
Those in the know can collect them from the surface.
@futurebird *Pushes Button to Subscribe to Ant Facts*
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Ant Fact of the Day:
"Ant Garnets" are tiny red gems found by ants. I know this sounds made up ... but it's real.
Harvester ants dig deep nests (up to 6m!) and they bring the soil to the surface grain by grain. Sometimes they find garnets, tiny precious red gemstones.
These are waste to the ants: they end up in the spoil heap around the nest. When it rains, the lighter stone washes away, the garnets from deep in the earth remain.
Those in the know can collect them from the surface.
Fascinating. I read up on this for at LEAST 30 minutes!
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@futurebird You can buy them loose, but not set; they're usually small, under a quarter carat, and never faceted at that size. There are indigenous sites I think in Arizona where you can go pick them up yourself for a fee.
I've heard gem sellers call them "anthill garnets" and since garnets are all natural, never treated or enhanced, you have just your ant friend to thank.
Garnets were known for invisibility in battle and for strengthening your blood (vigor) and sex drive.i have some anthill garnets around the house somewhere... pretty sure mine came from Arizona
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Ant Fact of the Day:
"Ant Garnets" are tiny red gems found by ants. I know this sounds made up ... but it's real.
Harvester ants dig deep nests (up to 6m!) and they bring the soil to the surface grain by grain. Sometimes they find garnets, tiny precious red gemstones.
These are waste to the ants: they end up in the spoil heap around the nest. When it rains, the lighter stone washes away, the garnets from deep in the earth remain.
Those in the know can collect them from the surface.
@futurebird Wow! I would absolutely love to facet a garnet dug up by an ant...
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i have some anthill garnets around the house somewhere... pretty sure mine came from Arizona
@peachfront @futurebird Yes, the inter-webs tell me that although other harvester ants have dug garnet in Australia and Africa, the main (trusted) source is the Navajo Nation, in the Four Corners region of northeastern Arizona where they carefully document the available (chromium rich) pyrope garnets. Mantle-derived, they occur in shallow, weathered deposits reachable by ants, which conditions don't often occur elsewhere. I have seen them listed briefly for sale on line, 1-5 mm roughs in lots.
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Ant Fact of the Day:
"Ant Garnets" are tiny red gems found by ants. I know this sounds made up ... but it's real.
Harvester ants dig deep nests (up to 6m!) and they bring the soil to the surface grain by grain. Sometimes they find garnets, tiny precious red gemstones.
These are waste to the ants: they end up in the spoil heap around the nest. When it rains, the lighter stone washes away, the garnets from deep in the earth remain.
Those in the know can collect them from the surface.
@futurebird I saw some at one of the gemologists I buy stones from and bought a pair for earrings. Most beautiful garnet I've seen in my career so far.
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Ant Fact of the Day:
"Ant Garnets" are tiny red gems found by ants. I know this sounds made up ... but it's real.
Harvester ants dig deep nests (up to 6m!) and they bring the soil to the surface grain by grain. Sometimes they find garnets, tiny precious red gemstones.
These are waste to the ants: they end up in the spoil heap around the nest. When it rains, the lighter stone washes away, the garnets from deep in the earth remain.
Those in the know can collect them from the surface.
Filing this away for the next time I’m in Arizona.
In Colorado, north of Steamboat Springs, there was a garnet ledge above the Strawberry Park hot springs. My mom and I went looking; sure enough, there were garnets on the rocks. It made her so happy to relive an old memory.
