What do you think?
Rate this book
The Earth Dwellers: Adventures in the Land of Ants
From Simon & Schuster, The Earth Dwellers is Erich Hoyt's close-up look at the world of ants.
Erich Hoyt recounts observations from an ant expedition to the tropical jungle with Edward O. Wilson. He introduces ants who harvest crops, raise insects as livestock, build roads and bridges, embark on nuptial fights and go to war.
Erich Hoyt recounts observations from an ant expedition to the tropical jungle with Edward O. Wilson. He introduces ants who harvest crops, raise insects as livestock, build roads and bridges, embark on nuptial fights and go to war.
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
6 people are currently reading
291 people want to read
About the author
Erich Hoyt
38 books39 followersErich Hoyt has spent much of his life on or near the sea, working with whales and dolphins and marine conservation. An award-winning author, he has written or co-written 25 books and hundreds of magazine articles on whales, dolphins, as well as the deep sea, ants, insects, wild plants and other subjects.
His latest books include Planktonia (2022, 176pp, 150+ photos) and Strange Sea Creatures (2021), both of which offer a deep dive into the new species scientists are discovering in the ocean, some of them no larger than a fingernail. In 2019, he produced an expanded, updated edition of his best-selling Orca: The Whale Called Killer, lavishly illustrated with 90 all new photos, illustrations and maps. Before those books, Encyclopedia of Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises (2017) chronicled the 40-year revolution in whale research with first-hand stories and insights into the lives of these highly social, intelligent mammals and the drive to save their habitat. Other books include the award-winning Creatures of the Deep (2014) and Weird Sea Creatures (2013) — both of which explored the frontiers of the deep sea with state of the art photography and tales of bizarre new species.
Erich is currently Research Fellow with WDC, Whale and Dolphin Conservation in the UK. For the past 20 years, he has jointly directed the first killer whale (orca) study in eastern Russia (in Kamchatka), an international collaboration with Russian scientists. The project won the prestigious Klüh Prize for Innovation in Science ($10,000 prize) from Germany. Erich is also a member of the International Committee on Marine Mammal Protected Areas and co-chair of the IUCN Marine Mammal Protected Area Task Force.
Erich has authored numerous conservation and scientific papers and reports as a consultant and advisor for international conservation groups and governments and is considered an authority on whales and dolphins, marine-protected areas and marine conservation, whale watching and ecotourism. He has given talks in Japan, Russia, Indonesia, Taiwan, Iceland, Mexico, Chile, Canada, U.S., Germany and the Caribbean. He has also taught as a visiting lecturer at the Ohio State University, the University of Edinburgh, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Erich’s magazine and newspaper credits include: National Geographic, Natural History, Geographical, New Scientist, Canadian Geographic, The Sunday Times (London), The Guardian, The New York Times, Hakai, Defenders, International Wildlife. Twice a James Thurber Writer-in-Residence, and a Vannevar Bush Fellow at MIT and Harvard in 1985-86, he has 15 magazine and book awards including the Outstanding Book of the Year Award from the American Society of Journalists & Authors, Inc., in New York (2002) and the Choice selection as one of its Outstanding Academic Books (2012).
Three of his adult nonfiction books, The Earth Dwellers, Insect Lives and Orca: The Whale Called Killer, have been optioned for films. His books for children (age 10+) include Weird Sea Creatures, Whale Rescue, Meeting the Whales and Riding with the Dolphins (all published by Firefly Books) and Extinction A-Z. His books have been published in 15 languages in 25 countries.
A dual Canadian-American citizen, Erich lives in Dorset, England, with his wife and four children.
His latest books include Planktonia (2022, 176pp, 150+ photos) and Strange Sea Creatures (2021), both of which offer a deep dive into the new species scientists are discovering in the ocean, some of them no larger than a fingernail. In 2019, he produced an expanded, updated edition of his best-selling Orca: The Whale Called Killer, lavishly illustrated with 90 all new photos, illustrations and maps. Before those books, Encyclopedia of Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises (2017) chronicled the 40-year revolution in whale research with first-hand stories and insights into the lives of these highly social, intelligent mammals and the drive to save their habitat. Other books include the award-winning Creatures of the Deep (2014) and Weird Sea Creatures (2013) — both of which explored the frontiers of the deep sea with state of the art photography and tales of bizarre new species.
Erich is currently Research Fellow with WDC, Whale and Dolphin Conservation in the UK. For the past 20 years, he has jointly directed the first killer whale (orca) study in eastern Russia (in Kamchatka), an international collaboration with Russian scientists. The project won the prestigious Klüh Prize for Innovation in Science ($10,000 prize) from Germany. Erich is also a member of the International Committee on Marine Mammal Protected Areas and co-chair of the IUCN Marine Mammal Protected Area Task Force.
Erich has authored numerous conservation and scientific papers and reports as a consultant and advisor for international conservation groups and governments and is considered an authority on whales and dolphins, marine-protected areas and marine conservation, whale watching and ecotourism. He has given talks in Japan, Russia, Indonesia, Taiwan, Iceland, Mexico, Chile, Canada, U.S., Germany and the Caribbean. He has also taught as a visiting lecturer at the Ohio State University, the University of Edinburgh, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Erich’s magazine and newspaper credits include: National Geographic, Natural History, Geographical, New Scientist, Canadian Geographic, The Sunday Times (London), The Guardian, The New York Times, Hakai, Defenders, International Wildlife. Twice a James Thurber Writer-in-Residence, and a Vannevar Bush Fellow at MIT and Harvard in 1985-86, he has 15 magazine and book awards including the Outstanding Book of the Year Award from the American Society of Journalists & Authors, Inc., in New York (2002) and the Choice selection as one of its Outstanding Academic Books (2012).
Three of his adult nonfiction books, The Earth Dwellers, Insect Lives and Orca: The Whale Called Killer, have been optioned for films. His books for children (age 10+) include Weird Sea Creatures, Whale Rescue, Meeting the Whales and Riding with the Dolphins (all published by Firefly Books) and Extinction A-Z. His books have been published in 15 languages in 25 countries.
A dual Canadian-American citizen, Erich lives in Dorset, England, with his wife and four children.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
March 29, 2008
As Monty Python would say, "And now for something completely different" -- in this case an unexpected pleasure. Of course, I'm probably the near-ideal audience for this book, as I'm fascinated by both insects and the people who study them.
I'm also a very big fan of E.O. Wilson, one of the two myrmecologists (that's "ant scientist" for most of us) profiled in the book, as he and his colleague, William Brown, study ant colonies in the Costa Rican rainforest. What came as a surprise, though, was how engagingly Hoyt wrote -- with wry humor and vivid details. I was hooked and read the book more or less straight through (which is something I don't often do, being a meandering, easily distracted reader).
Ants are social insects, and an overarching theme of the book was that they do many things human societies do -- enslave others, conduct wars, raise livestock, farm, engage in vast "civil engineering" projects, and more. If you haven't spent much time observing ants, you're almost guaranteed to do so after finishing this book. Fascinating stuff!
I'm also a very big fan of E.O. Wilson, one of the two myrmecologists (that's "ant scientist" for most of us) profiled in the book, as he and his colleague, William Brown, study ant colonies in the Costa Rican rainforest. What came as a surprise, though, was how engagingly Hoyt wrote -- with wry humor and vivid details. I was hooked and read the book more or less straight through (which is something I don't often do, being a meandering, easily distracted reader).
Ants are social insects, and an overarching theme of the book was that they do many things human societies do -- enslave others, conduct wars, raise livestock, farm, engage in vast "civil engineering" projects, and more. If you haven't spent much time observing ants, you're almost guaranteed to do so after finishing this book. Fascinating stuff!
October 22, 2012
A mixed bag of a book, though fortunately a high quality mixture of things. The primary focus of the books is Ants, and it follows the life cycle of three different types by focusing on an individual colony (or super-organism) of each. (For the curious, the three types are a leaf-cutter ant colony, a fire ant colony and a army ant swarm.) And the primary focus is fascinating, if you have any interest in animal behavior. Hoyt does a good job of switching between the general and the specific, looking at how certain types of behaviors manifest themselves in the three types of ants he focuses on. The book is also about an ant-collecting expedition in Costa Rica, with EO Wilson and William L Brown, Jr. That part of the book is pretty interesting as well. The book takes the predictable digressions into rain forest diversity, ecology, sociobiology and the like, but they are handled well enough to not be a major intrusion. A well-done introduction to a very specific facet of entomology.
March 30, 2019
This book is intended for young pre-college readers. Erich Hoyt writes for those are ready to start learning about the important scientists, their contributions in addition to types of ants, focusing on La Selva Amazon forest where and species are still being discovered.
This book is largely and no way completely as popularization of the work 9f Edward O Wilson. Wilson proposed the theory of sociobiology. Ants are social beings whose social interactions promote the survival of their species. And ants have capabilities, maybe not smarts, but capabilities all the same. Ants cannot reason like we do but they can communicate immediately through pheromones, smells that indicate insider/outside to colony, danger, mating time. . . .As Hoyt points out: Better living through chemicals. Also some ants can find food, travel back to colony, communicate "food,"and then find where the food source us through triangularization. Social and life skills.
There is more to this, but it is outside the scope of this review. If you are wanting something more than a popularization, Hoyt cites within his text Sociobiology: The New Synthesis by Edward O. Wilson. You also might want to research what other academics say about Wilson's theories to get a more balanced picture. Here a video from youtube:
you tube link
This book is largely and no way completely as popularization of the work 9f Edward O Wilson. Wilson proposed the theory of sociobiology. Ants are social beings whose social interactions promote the survival of their species. And ants have capabilities, maybe not smarts, but capabilities all the same. Ants cannot reason like we do but they can communicate immediately through pheromones, smells that indicate insider/outside to colony, danger, mating time. . . .As Hoyt points out: Better living through chemicals. Also some ants can find food, travel back to colony, communicate "food,"and then find where the food source us through triangularization. Social and life skills.
There is more to this, but it is outside the scope of this review. If you are wanting something more than a popularization, Hoyt cites within his text Sociobiology: The New Synthesis by Edward O. Wilson. You also might want to research what other academics say about Wilson's theories to get a more balanced picture. Here a video from youtube:
you tube link
July 2, 2021
Very intriguing. I liked the combination of uber science with personality mix of the major players. It worked well.
January 8, 2022
You know when you go to a party and somebody there is really passionate about something that you have a passing interest in and they just keep talking to you about it? You stand there listening politely but eventually you sorta space out and when you zone back in, they are still talking about it!
That's the vibe of this book. Yes, ants are cool. Yes, there are lots of cool ant facts in here. I can't even really fault it for the way it is written. It's competent and readable. It just drones (pun intended) on and on. A budding myrmecologist would derive great pleasure out of this, I'm sure.
I assume that most people would come into this book with about the same knowledge of ants as I did (they farm fungus, they are studied as a superorganism, there are a kazillion different species...) but I don't know that anybody would come away from this book being inspired to know more about ants. As I was reading this book it was sliding off of my brain. I wouldn't ever read it again, nor would I recommend it to anybody I know. Except for my one friend in the book club who chose this book. I bet he loved it.
That's the vibe of this book. Yes, ants are cool. Yes, there are lots of cool ant facts in here. I can't even really fault it for the way it is written. It's competent and readable. It just drones (pun intended) on and on. A budding myrmecologist would derive great pleasure out of this, I'm sure.
I assume that most people would come into this book with about the same knowledge of ants as I did (they farm fungus, they are studied as a superorganism, there are a kazillion different species...) but I don't know that anybody would come away from this book being inspired to know more about ants. As I was reading this book it was sliding off of my brain. I wouldn't ever read it again, nor would I recommend it to anybody I know. Except for my one friend in the book club who chose this book. I bet he loved it.
January 7, 2011
Super interesting...I highly recommend this book if you're looking for something different to expand your horizons. Don't be put off by the subject matter (ants)...it is written from the perspective of the ants and as an outside observer so you get the "whole" story.
March 10, 2010
This is such a fun book, you'd never realize what a complex society is right beneath our feet.
November 1, 2023
Reads like a collection of essays, in that there is a great deal of repetition between and even within chapters.
The parts that talk about ants in scientific terms are interesting and pretty cool. Unfortunately, the author has a tendency to go off on flights of fancy in which he anthropomorphises the ants and that comes off as unrealistic and forced.
The weakest parts of the book are when we 'get to know' the scientists. Basically, you can skip those sections.
The parts that talk about ants in scientific terms are interesting and pretty cool. Unfortunately, the author has a tendency to go off on flights of fancy in which he anthropomorphises the ants and that comes off as unrealistic and forced.
The weakest parts of the book are when we 'get to know' the scientists. Basically, you can skip those sections.
August 30, 2023
Solid book about ants. half the book follows ants around the jungle and while anthropomorphizing tells a fascinating story and explains everything. Other half focuses on E.O. Wilson, his career, his life, and his science.
November 24, 2020
Ants are neat.
October 31, 2024
An educational and entertaining exploration of ant life.
January 3, 2015
I loved it. I knew there was much I didn't know about ants, but had no idea they were this interesting and varied. Come spring, I'm out there with my magnifying glass - though careful not to burn anybody - and a lot more respect. Between the dramatic events in the lives of ant colonies, there are the more hum-drum events in the lives of the people who make a life work of studying them. Hoyt is informed about, and sympathetic to, both.
Though there is plenty of story, there is no shortage of science. It so happens, I don't need to know the taxonomy or evolution of ants, and how to tell one species from another, or who made which discoveries in which year, but it's all in there if I ever do.
I was particularly happy to meet E.O. Wilson, whom I have read and admired in a larger context, on his favourite hunting-grounds, being very human.
I haven't enjoyed a detailed study of something unfamiliar this much since 'Lives of a Cell' by Lewis Thomas and 'Structures' by J.E. Gordon. This book is in class with those books - and that's very, very select company.
Though there is plenty of story, there is no shortage of science. It so happens, I don't need to know the taxonomy or evolution of ants, and how to tell one species from another, or who made which discoveries in which year, but it's all in there if I ever do.
I was particularly happy to meet E.O. Wilson, whom I have read and admired in a larger context, on his favourite hunting-grounds, being very human.
I haven't enjoyed a detailed study of something unfamiliar this much since 'Lives of a Cell' by Lewis Thomas and 'Structures' by J.E. Gordon. This book is in class with those books - and that's very, very select company.
February 20, 2014
Perhaps I just wasn't in the mood, perhaps ants just aren't my thing...either way, I couldn't get past the first page of this book. Upon reviewing, there were charts and diagrams and some stories that others found amazing...and I just couldn't get into it.
April 13, 2015
A really interesting book about a subject I knew little about. Full of lots of "Wow I never knew that Ants did xxxxxx" read aloud to your partner moments. Written in an easily accessible style for the layman reader. Highly recommended.
September 1, 2009
hasil hunting Minggu 29 Maret 2009
October 29, 2023
This book is fascinating. Did you ever get a tattoo because of a book? Cos if you did then that book should be on your list too
January 15, 2017
"The Earth Dwellers: Adventures in the Land of Ants" - written by Erich Hoyt and first published in 1996. A detailed, interesting, but overly long discussion of everything ants.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews