Ant Expert

Brian Fisher is an entomologist. That’s a person who studies insects. Fisher works at a museum in San Francisco, California. It’s called the California Academy of Sciences.

In April, TFK Kid Reporter Dylan Patel traveled to San Francisco. He met with the famous ant expert. They talked about Fisher’s work.

Brian Fisher gives TFK Kid Reporter Dylan Patel a tour of the California Academy of Sciences, in San Francisco, in April 2024.

From Plants to Insects

Fisher’s childhood dream was to be a botanist. That’s a scientist who studies plants. He reached that goal.

But Fisher started asking questions about the ants he found on botany expeditions. The other botanists couldn’t identify them. Fisher got in touch with an ant scientist to learn more.

Fisher’s career as an entomologist comes from his fascination with different types of ants.

Over time, Fisher’s interest in the ants grew. So he made a change. He became an entomologist.

Helping Out

Scientists must be “motivated, driven, and focused,” Fisher says. He has a goal. He wants to identify every type of ant. He would like to create a family tree of ant species. This will require cooperation from scientists around the world.

Fisher’s mission took him to Madagascar. It’s an island off the coast of Africa. He didn’t just study ants there. He also helped people.

In 2022, Fisher (center) teaches students in Madagascar how to climb trees to collect ants for study.

Fisher invented a way to farm insects for food. He taught it to people in Madagascar. They use insects to make crackers. The crackers are given to people who need food.

Fisher’s ant family tree could open up a new world of insect studies. But if people “nearby are hungry,” he says, it’s more important to work on that first.