This column of leafcutter ants stretched through the jungle as far as the eye could see. What are they doing? Cutting leaves, of course. The better question is for what purpose? If you guessed feathering their nest, you’re thinking too simplistic. Incredibly these ants harvest leaves and shred them into a kind of mulch that they use to grow an edible fungus. They’re farmers and sophisticated ones too.

In addition to growing fungus, the ants also produce bacteria to fight a virulent disease that would otherwise devastate their crops. So it can be said that leafcutter ants developed organic agriculture 50 million years before people realized it was cool.