Help identifying an old animated adventure series with ensemble cast and brief ant shot in intro

Hello everyone,

I’m trying to identify an old animated TV series. I have only fragmentary memories, mostly exclusion criteria, but I believe it should be possible to narrow it down with careful cross-referencing.

Positive/identifying features:

1. Distinctive memory: In the opening sequence, there is a very brief shot (0.5–2 seconds) showing ants crossing a stream or river on leaves.
2. Animated series aimed roughly at 5–14-year-olds.
3. Adventure-themed, often set in jungles, savannahs, or safari-type environments; possibly quest-based, though I’m not certain.
4. Ensemble cast of about 4–6 characters, all roughly equally prominent.
5. Each episode ended with a cliffhanger.
6. Animation style and realism roughly comparable to Captain Planet, Batman: The Animated Series, or Superman: TAS. Likely US or Japanese production; Canada, France, or Belgium is possible but less probable.
7. Not a German production, though it was dubbed and aired in Germany in the 1990s (e.g., on RTL 2, Kabel eins, or Super RTL) — the show itself could be significantly older.
8. Occasionally a Jeep or off-road vehicle appears as a mode of transport.
9. The story involves active movement through natural environments; the group is on a mission or search, though the objective is no longer clear to me.
10. Set in the present-day, real-world Earth—no medieval, futuristic, sci-fi, or technology-heavy elements.
11. Group consists of teenagers or young adults, both male and female.
12. Opening sequence is composed of clips from the show itself, not a separate promotional creation.

Negative/exclusion criteria:

• No anthropomorphic animals (e.g., Gummi Bears).
• If superpowers or mystical elements appear, they are minor and not central to the show (similar to Batman: TAS, where the world functions primarily without superpowers).
• No live-action/animation mix (e.g., Space Jam); purely animated.

Additional context / thoughts:

• I suspect it may have been an anime, since cliffhangers were common and the show did not run for very long.
• While it was dubbed into German in the 1990s, the original production could predate that by a decade or more.
• I have already checked well-known lists of 90s animated series (DuckTales, Goofy & Max, Gargoyles, Mila Superstar, etc.) without success.

Request:
I would greatly appreciate any suggestions or leads for shows that fit these criteria. The brief ants-in-the-intro shot is the most distinctive memory I have, so any show whose opening sequence includes something similar would be particularly noteworthy.