British Universities Film & Video Council

moving image and sound, knowledge and access

Cain and Abel (Ants)

Synopsis
In the high forests of northern Trinidad, a rich and varied habitat, two kinds of ant have adopted contrasting ways of making a living. The driver ants are wandering hunters which scour the forest floor for their prey - anything which moves - and the leaf-cutter ants crop the foliage to provide compost for their underground fungus-farms. The film examines the complex lives of these ants, and their conflict in the forest. The nomadic existence of the drivers is regularly interrupted with longer stops to breed new workers. The camps they live in are constructed of the living bodies of the ants themselves. The leaf-cutters build their home underground. The fungus they grow for their food is of a kind which has never been known to grow anywhere else.
Series
Survival, Series
Language
English
Country
Great Britain
Medium
Film; Film. 16mm. sd. col. 25 min.
Technical information
Black-and-white / Sound
Year of production
1975
Availability
Hire
Subjects
Biology
Keywords
ants; insects; Trinidad

Credits

Producer
Colin Willcock
Writer
Malcolm Penny
Contributor
Ken Hansford
Cast
Peter Scott 

Distribution Formats

Type
Film
Format
16mm

Production Company

Name

Anglia Television

Distributor

Name

Oxford Scientific Films

Web
http://www.osf.uk.com External site opens in new window

Record Stats

This record has been viewed 482 times.