Ants have been farming fungi for 66 million years — 65 million years before humans farmed anything
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Leafcutter and other attine ants practice sophisticated fungal agriculture: they cultivate specific fungus species in underground gardens, feeding them with leaf material, weeding out competing organisms, applying antibiotic secretions to control pathogens, and selectively breeding their fungal strains over generations. This system evolved approximately 66 million years ago. The relationship is so specialised that the ants' cultivated fungus species no longer exists in the wild — it only survives in ant colonies. Agriculture with a 65-million-year head start on humans.
Farming feels like one of humanity's defining inventions — the basis of civilisation. Discovering that ants were running sophisticated agricultural systems 66 million years before the first human planted a seed makes 'civilised behaviour' feel much less exclusive to our species.
The Science Behind It
Leafcutter and other attine ants practice sophisticated fungal agriculture: they cultivate specific fungus species in underground gardens, feeding them with leaf material, weeding out competing organisms, applying antibiotic secretions to control pathogens, and selectively breeding their fungal strains over generations. This system evolved approximately 66 million years ago. The relationship is so specialised that the ants' cultivated fungus species no longer exists in the wild — it only survives in ant colonies. Agriculture with a 65-million-year head start on humans.
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Sources & Verification
OddlyHuman Editors
VerifiedWritten and fact-checked by the OddlyHuman Behavioral Science Team. We verify all psychological, sociological, and historical claims against peer-reviewed journals, primary sources, and established encyclopedias to bring you accurate insights.
Read our Editorial Guidelines →“Ants have been farming fungi for 66 million years — before the dinosaurs died. The fungus they cultivate no longer exists in the wild; it only survives inside ant colonies. 🐜🍄 #OddlyHuman”