Most types of animals in nature are male-dominated, but there are also species where the female is a queen with a unique role and responsibilities. These roles often focus on guiding group behaviors and maintaining the social structure, primarily through reproduction, social organization, and communication. In this article we’ll learn more about some examples of these specific animals in nature, where the female is queen.
Why do some species have a queen?
In certain species, having a queen helps maintain a highly organized social structure that optimizes survival and reproductive success. By having a single or limited number of reproductive females, such as queens, the group can channel resources effectively.
Queens often produce chemical signals, or pheromones, that influence other members’ behaviors, ensuring harmony and cooperation within the group. These structures allow for specialized roles, such as worker, soldier, or reproductive, which supports the collective strength and adaptability of the group.
How is the queen different?
Queens typically differ from other members in size, lifespan, and reproductive capacity. They are usually the largest members, capable of producing hundreds or thousands of offspring, which is crucial for the colony’s growth and sustainability. Unlike other members, queens have longer lifespans, as their primary role is reproduction rather than daily tasks. Their unique pheromones also help control and maintain social dynamics, sometimes preventing others from reproducing, solidifying their place as the singular matriarch.
Examples of species that have a queen
1. Honeybee
Scientific name: Apis mellifera
In honey bee colonies, the queen bee is the only reproductive female, responsible for laying all the eggs in the hive. She is significantly larger than the worker bees, enabling her to produce up to 2,000 eggs per day. This prolific reproduction rate is essential to the hive’s growth and continuity. The queen’s pheromones regulate worker behaviors, suppressing their ability to reproduce and maintaining social order. While the worker bees gather food, protect the hive, and care for the young, the queen rarely leaves, venturing outside only briefly to mate early in her life. Her presence ensures a unified, efficient, and well-organized hive, with her pheromones acting as a constant signal of her authority.
2. Fire Ant
Scientific name: Solenopsis invicta
In fire ant colonies, the queen ant holds a pivotal role as the primary egg-layer, producing thousands of eggs daily to support the colony’s growth. The queen’s pheromones communicate her presence and status to the worker ants, who then perform their duties in response to her needs. Her survival is critical; if the queen dies, the colony often disbands unless a new queen can be produced. Fire ant queens live much longer than workers, often surviving for several years. Their ability to control reproduction and colony dynamics defines the hierarchy within the colony, ensuring a highly structured and cooperative environment.
3. Termite
Scientific name: Reticulitermes flavipes (Eastern subterranean termite)
Termite queens are among the longest-living insects, with some species surviving over a decade. These queens have incredible reproductive abilities, capable of laying thousands of eggs each day to populate the colony. In termite societies, the queen’s size can increase significantly over her lifetime, reaching several times the size of workers. Her constant egg production sustains the colony’s vast network of workers and soldiers. Termite queens also emit pheromones that prevent other females from reproducing, maintaining a strict social structure. Without a queen, termite colonies lose cohesion, as her presence and signals are vital for order and growth.
4. Naked Mole-Rat
Scientific name: Heterocephalus glaber
The naked mole-rat queen is unique among mammals for her role as the sole reproductive female in her colony. This queen is larger than her colony members, gaining her status through a combination of size and aggression. She continuously produces offspring, and her pheromones prevent other females from becoming reproductively active. This ensures that only she mates with the select breeding males, creating a stable family structure. If a queen dies, intense competition among females ensues, with one emerging as the new queen. The naked mole-rat’s social system resembles that of eusocial insects, making it a fascinating example of a mammal with a true queen.
5. Yellow Jacket
Scientific name: Vespula vulgaris
In yellow jacket colonies, the queen is the sole egg-layer, starting the colony each year by laying eggs that develop into workers. These workers then take on foraging, nest-building, and defensive duties. The queen, significantly larger than her worker counterparts, stays within the nest, dedicating her energy to egg production. Her pheromones help to maintain social order and prevent other females from laying eggs. As summer progresses, the queen produces males and future queens, who leave the nest to mate. The original queen dies at the season’s end, and only the new queens survive the winter to establish colonies in the following year.
6. Leafcutter Ant
Scientific name: Atta cephalotes
The leafcutter ant queen begins her colony by mating and laying eggs, creating a new generation of workers who help to establish and expand the colony. Unlike her workers, the queen lives in a protected chamber, where she dedicates herself to laying thousands of eggs. Leafcutter queens can live up to a decade or more, continuously producing eggs that fuel the colony’s complex social structure. Her pheromones regulate the workers’ roles and behaviors, ensuring efficiency and cohesion within the colony. The queen’s dominance and reproductive role are central to the colony’s stability and success.
7. Pharaoh Ant
Scientific name: Monomorium pharaonis
Pharaoh ant colonies often contain multiple queens, with each queen laying eggs that contribute to the colony’s expansion. In these colonies, queens do not inhibit each other’s reproduction, allowing for rapid population growth. Each queen produces pheromones that regulate worker behaviors and maintain social order. While workers have a relatively short lifespan, the queens can live much longer, sometimes several years, depending on conditions. The colony’s survival relies on the queens’ ability to continuously reproduce and guide the colony’s activities, making their presence essential for colony success.
8. Green Tree Ant
Scientific name: Oecophylla smaragdina
The green tree ant queen is the sole reproductive female in her colony, producing eggs that create a large and thriving colony. Known for building nests in trees by stitching leaves together, the workers support the queen by gathering food and protecting the colony. The queen’s pheromones maintain social cohesion, preventing other females from reproducing and directing worker activities. Her survival is critical to colony stability, as the workers rely on her presence for direction and continuity.
9. Japanese Hornet
Scientific name: Vespa mandarinia
In Japanese hornet colonies, the queen is responsible for establishing and growing the colony by laying eggs. This queen is significantly larger than the workers, and her pheromones maintain control over reproduction and social organization. Only the queen reproduces, while the worker hornets gather food, defend the nest, and care for the larvae. As the colony reaches maturity, the queen produces males and new queens, continuing the cycle.
10. Army Ant
Scientific name: Eciton burchellii
The army ant queen is vital to her colony, laying hundreds of thousands of eggs during her lifetime to sustain the nomadic lifestyle of army ants. Her massive size allows her to produce offspring continuously. The colony travels in search of food, with the queen at its center, and her pheromones guide the workers’ movements. The army ant queen is fiercely protected, as the colony relies entirely on her to replenish its numbers.
11. Bald-Faced Hornet
Scientific name: Dolichovespula maculata
The queen bald-faced hornet starts the colony each spring, laying eggs that develop into workers. These workers build and expand the nest, gathering food and defending it from threats. The queen’s pheromones regulate social dynamics, preventing other females from reproducing and keeping the colony organized. By the end of the season, the queen produces future queens and males, ensuring the species’ survival beyond her lifespan.
12. Carpenter Ant
Scientific name: Camponotus pennsylvanicus
Carpenter ant queens are responsible for initiating and maintaining the colony, producing eggs that give rise to workers and soldiers. Her pheromones keep workers focused on foraging, nest-building, and protection. The queen is larger and longer-lived than her workers, often reaching several years of age. Her presence and reproductive role are critical, as the colony’s structure and growth depend on her ability to produce new generations.
13. Africanized Honeybee
Scientific name: Apis mellifera scutellata
The Africanized honeybee queen establishes and organizes her hive with similar dynamics to other honeybee species, though these colonies are particularly defensive. The queen is the colony’s only reproductive female, producing all of the hive’s eggs. Her pheromones control worker behavior, directing their roles and preventing reproduction. This species is highly protective of the queen, ensuring her survival to maintain the colony’s growth and defense.
14. Argentine Ant
Scientific name: Linepithema humile
In Argentine ant colonies, multiple queens can coexist and contribute to colony expansion. Each queen lays eggs that rapidly increase the colony’s population. These queens produce pheromones that structure worker behaviors, allowing the colony to function smoothly. Argentine ant colonies are unique for their cooperation among multiple queens, though each retains her reproductive authority and leadership.
15. Red Imported Fire Ant
Scientific name: Solenopsis richteri
The red imported fire ant queen’s role mirrors that of other fire ants, laying thousands of eggs and regulating social order. Her pheromones signal to workers, directing their activities in foraging, defense, and caring for the young. Without the queen, the colony loses structure and survival ability, as the workers depend on her presence for reproductive continuity.
16. Weaver Ant
Scientific name: Oecophylla longinoda
Weaver ants are known for their impressive nest-building skills, and the queen weaver ant is central to their colony’s success. She produces all offspring, while the workers build nests from leaves and tend to the young. The queen’s pheromones maintain order, ensuring that workers focus on colony tasks rather than reproduction. The colony’s expansion relies on her ability to produce large numbers of offspring consistently.
17. Desert Termite
Scientific name: Gnathamitermes perplexus
The desert termite queen is responsible for populating and maintaining the colony in arid conditions. Her body expands to accommodate prolific egg-laying, providing a constant supply of workers and soldiers. Pheromones from the queen ensure social cohesion, directing worker behavior and preventing other females from reproducing. The survival of the colony is tied to her ability to reproduce and maintain a stable workforce.
18. Indian Jumping Ant
Scientific name: Harpegnathos saltator
In Indian jumping ant colonies, a unique hierarchy exists where the queen monopolizes reproduction. When a queen dies, select workers can assume her role temporarily until a new queen emerges. This queen maintains her status through pheromones, which regulate worker behavior and prevent them from reproducing. The colony depends on her reproductive abilities and social influence to stay organized.
19. Paper Wasp
Scientific name: Polistes dominula
The paper wasp queen establishes her colony by laying eggs that develop into workers, who then take over foraging and nest construction. Her pheromones keep the colony structured by suppressing reproduction in other females. As the season progresses, she produces males and future queens who will disperse, ensuring the species’ survival. The original queen’s leadership and reproductive role are essential for colony growth and continuity.
20. Yellow Crazy Ant
Scientific name: Anoplolepis gracilipes
Yellow crazy ant colonies often feature multiple queens, each contributing to the colony’s rapid expansion. These queens work together to maintain a high reproductive rate, supported by cooperative workers. The queens’ pheromones help direct worker activities, keeping the colony organized and productive. This unique social structure allows for large, interconnected colonies that thrive in diverse environments.
21. European Hornet
Scientific name: Vespa crabro
In European hornet colonies, the queen is the central reproductive figure, laying eggs that develop into workers. These workers maintain the nest, gather food, and defend the colony. The queen’s pheromones help to suppress reproductive activity in other females, keeping the social hierarchy intact. As the colony matures, new queens and males are produced to perpetuate the species.
22. Black Garden Ant
Scientific name: Lasius niger
The black garden ant queen initiates the colony by producing eggs that become workers, who then take over foraging and nest upkeep. Her pheromones ensure the workers remain focused on their tasks and do not reproduce. The queen’s longevity and constant egg production sustain the colony’s growth, making her the linchpin of social order and reproductive success.
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