In many ant species, the queen can live 10 to 30 years, while female worker ants survive only months to a few years, and males often die within days of mating, making the ant colony one of the most extreme lifespan hierarchies in the animal world.

In the common black garden ant, Lasius niger, queens have been documented living nearly three decades in laboratory conditions. After a single mating flight, a queen stores sperm for life and can produce millions of offspring over the course of her reign.

Workers, sterile females, perform the labor that sustains the colony. Their shorter lives reflect constant exposure to danger and physical wear.

Males exist almost solely to mate during the nuptial flight. Many die shortly afterward.

In a single nest, lifespans can range from days to decades. Few animal societies build inequality so directly into their biology.