biology - Plausible reason for gold-digging ant - Worldbuilding

Medieval bestiaries describe a creature, a type of desert-dwelling ant that digs for gold. It was also said to be the size of a fox, but I'll ignore that in this question. Why would ants unearth p

Herodotus's Legendary Fox Sized Gold Digging Ants

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Herodotus's Legendary Fox Sized Gold Digging Ants

Herodotus's Legendary Fox Sized Gold Digging Ants

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