Army Ants

Army ants are a specific variety of ants whose size ranges between 3 mm-12mm. They have long pointed mandibles (lower jaw), long legs and an elongated body. The color of army ants ranges from deep golden to dull brown.

Army ants find nests, develop a social hierarchy and unlike other ants migrate to other areas. A typical army ant colony consists of about a million ants, which include a queen, her eggs, soldiers and workers. Every ant in the colony follows a hierarchy. The queen lays eggs the whole day. The soldier focuses on defense and attack. The workers do the foraging and the small worker ants take care of the queen’s eggs. Army ants are carnivorous and feed on other insects. They are capable of capturing much bigger animals like lizards, birds and pigs by organized group raids. Army ants have a huge appetite and can kill and eat 50,000-100,000 insects in a day. Due to this need for food, army ants have to migrate after sometime. The ants form temporary nests and migrate to a new place after raiding the whole colony. Any ants left in the raided colony become the slaves of the new ant society. Army ants fluctuate between a nomadic phase and a temporary resting phase. In the nomadic phase the ants march at night and rest during the daylight in their nests.

The nests of the army ants are quite different from that of any other ants. The nests are made up of the ants themselves. They form walls in the nest in a structured way so that the queen and the eggs are protected and there are enough chambers and corridors for other activities like, transportation of food.

Unlike all other ants and insects, army ants have single eyes instead of compound eyes. Their communication is dependent on chemical signals, vibrations and touch. Army ants release a chemical compound called pheromones by wiping their abdomen on the ground. The chemicals act as a devise to communicate a need for food, assistance and changing behavior pattern.