Gold Mined by Ants

The Asian "ant" mentioned by the historian Herodotus was hairy and about the size of a fox. It dug out gold from the ground, which the inhabitants then gathered. Most likely, this was the Himalayan marmot, which likes to dig tunnels in places where there is plenty of gold. The Indian subcontinent is home to several indigenous tribes that have made a living collecting gold from near their mound for centuries.