Special Ants

? Dark Giant ? 

Story:

Eciton Rapax is found in Southern America. A

close relative of the Africa Army Ants with huge

sizes. They are one of the strongest predators

among the ants.

? Gold Armor ?

Story:

Daceton armigerum, found in Amazon rain forests

in northern South America, is carnivores. The size

of these ants varies between worker and soldier

ants, which soldier ant can reach up to 15-17 mm.

They don't hunt in large groups, and often hunt

alone. Their diet is very diverse, from a variety of

insects to small snails. They can not only tear their

prey with strong and powerful teeth, but also sting

and inject venom to better break down the prey.

? Shikaree Master ?

Story:

It is one of the largest terrestrial true bugs in North America and some part regions in Mid-Southern

America. As agricultural beneficial insects, it's as

known as lion or falcon among all insects. They

have similar appearances as ants, somehow this

helps them to avoid many risks.

? Golden Sugar ?

Story:

Camponotus sericeiventris can be found from the

Central South America to the Southern United

States. Its size is huge, reaching from 15 mm to

16.5 mm. Its overall body surface color is normally

black with a rough texture. Its tail, abdomen and

back usually grow fine golden hairs which shine

brightly when struck by the light. When attacking,

the buttocks are lifted towards underneath its body

and formic acid is sprayed therefrom, though this

kind of attack is not usually used in hunting.

? Long Jaw Giant ?

Story:

Anocnetus paripungens is an ant species unique to Australia. They are not large, usually 5-6 mm in

length, and mainly live in rain forests and like to

nest under decaying trees. They tend to search for

food at dusk, night, and damn. They use their long

mandibles to bite their prey in a split second with great success.

? Slim Arched ?

Story:

Camponotus mirabilis is only found in parts of the

northern South America, and is called the ghosts

of the Amazon rain forests. Their heads are long

and flat, and their bodies are huge, reaching more

than 12 mm. They nest in the local bamboo by

drilling holes into the bamboo joints while the bamboo is still immature and the surface is not yet

hard. As the bamboo grows, these holes form

natural nesting chambers. They normally breed

aphids in the bamboo joints to gather honeydew as

their food, but will occasionally also prey on other insects.

? Mimicry Master ?

Story:

Found in some particular regions of South America, a special species of insect. This species

usually mimic ants to get better living

environments. Looks like the Camponotus

Sericeiventris.

? Black Cancer ?

Story:

Found in Paraguay, Brazil, Argentina, and 

Panama. Aphantochilus is a genus of

ant-mimicking crab spiders. One of the best

species in mimicking ants. Survive by eating ants.

Have similar sizes and appearances as ants. It's

one of the main natural predators of local ants.

? Rock Bandit ?

Story:

Found in southern regions of South America and

Mexico. Prefer to build their nests under rocks.

They have small size bodies. Sometimes they

would occupy Atta Leafcutter ants'nests as their own.

? Muscleman ? 

Story:

Podomyrma adelaidae, one type of leafcutter ants

endemic to Australia, is easily recognized by the

two yellow-white spots on its tail. They are large,

6-7 mm in length, aggressive and energetic. They

prefer to nest in decaying tree cavities and often

climb up the branches of eucalyptus trees to feed on them.

? Giant Tooth ?

Story:

Odontomachus coquereli, mostly found in the

African part of Madagascar, is usually about 12

mm in length. They have two saw-shaped teeth

and a mandible which can stretch 180 degrees

when fully opened. Also, their mouth can be fixed

in an open position due to the unique internal structure where they have a pair of antennas for

sensing. When prey touches these antennas, their

mouth closes immediately. Fast and powerful, it

can cripple or even kill the prey instantly. At the same time, they can also use airflow generated by

the rapid closure of the mouth to bounce

themselves to avoid being attacked or get rid of

enemies chasing them.

? New World General ?

Story:

Eciton burchellii, found in Peru all the way to

Mexico, is one of the world's most widely known,

and most scary, army ants. There is a huge

difference between worker ants and soldier ants

within this genus. The soldier ants have huge, long

teeth. Their tall, strong bodies are over ten times

the size of the average worker ants, which could

reach 8-10 mm. They do not have a fixed nest, and

the whole colony is always on the march. The

huge colony of millions of ants can hunt almost any

creature. So, you'd better run away as soon as

possible when you see them.

? Jack Jumper ? 

Story:

Myrmecia Pilosula, also known as Velvet Ant but more widely known as "Jack Jumper Ant", is the scariest ant species on the Australian continent.

They are very large and can reach 12-14 mm.

They have venomous stings that contain a

neurotoxin. Some have allergic reactions and their lives may be danger when exposed to this neurotoxin. They mainly feed on small insects which they hunt by injecting venom, and they also gather honeydew. They have the best jumping ability among all the ants in the world, and their strong hind legs effectively increase the success rate of hunting.