Ants are small and sometimes difficult to spot. How do Macao’s ants go about their lives? People with curiosity about this topic can learn more from Macao’s “Ant-man”.

A Macao Science Center seminar called “Ants in the City” features a session to showcase various ant specimens. The Center has invited “Ant-man” Leong Chi Man, a Macao-born researcher, to share his knowledge on these common insects and their presence in Macao.

Leong Chi Man is the first local researcher to have discovered in Macao an ant of the genus “leptanilla” that was previously unknown to science. He and his team later named the particular species as “Leptanilla macauensis Leong et al., 2018”.

Children pay close attention to an ant specimen during a knowledge sharing session.

A young seminar attendee closely observes the behaviour of some ants.

Another young attendee gets a closer look at an ant specimen brought to the event by local researcher Leong Chi Man.

A child is given an introduction to the body structure of an ant.

By introducing children to the world of these little insects via the seminar, the organisers hope to spark their curiosity regarding the topic and inspire a new generation of scientific research.