Mille milliards de fourmis

Did you know that a micro colony of 20 ants can live in an acorn? Facts like this, and many others, are yours for the taking at this new exhibition at the Palais de la Découverte, which puts us in the place of one of the smallest but also one of the most invasive inhabitants of our planet. Appearing 120 million years ago (against around 3 million for humans), ants today number more than a thousand million individuals, and represent 30% of the weight (biomass) of all insects. Unnerving statistics, which remind us to what degree the world is occupied by these small insects and their very well-oiled social system. The structure of the exhibition gives the visitor an ant's eye view of the world, revealing in particular the secrets of their bodies and the impeccable organisation of their society.