Top 10 Biggest Ants In The World

The first thing that comes to mind when talking about ants will be the small insects that crawl on the ground. Despite being small in size, some of them are relatively powerful due to their large numbers.

There are various species of ants found all over the world with only the exception of Antarctica. There are roughly 12,000 species of any worldwide and among them will be these big ants that are multiple times the size of regular ants.

ADVERT

Here we would like to share with you the top 10 biggest ants in the world based on their overall length.

10. Formica Fusca (0.7cm)

Formica Fusca or Silky ant can be found in various parts of the world mainly in Asia, Africa, and Europe. Unlike regular ants that burrow themselves in the ground, this ant prefers to set their home inside rotten trees in the forest.

The ant comes in solid black color and they typically grow up to 0.7cm in length. The Silky ant tends to live in colonies of between 500 to 2000 other ants with several queens in each colony.

9. Green Ant (0.7cm)

The ninth biggest ant in the world will be the Greent ant as it is native to the country of Australia and sometimes found in New Zealand as well. As the name states, the ant is totally green in color with a hint of purple on its body.

The ant is measured at 0.7cm in length with the queen being slightly bigger than the worker ants. This is perhaps one of the most survivable ants out there as it is capable of adapting to different climates including the hot desert.

Not only that, this ant is capable of giving a nasty bite to its victim which is highly effective against other small insects.

8. Southern Wood Ant (0.8cm)

Also known as the red wood ant, this species has a dark orange color on its body and measuring at 0.8cm in length. This ant can be found all over England with some parts of North America.

ADVERT

Their natural habitat will be the forest and they are rarely found on grassland. They protect themselves by releasing a chemical substance to the predators. They mainly feast on other small insects out in the wild.

7. Slave-Maker Ant (1cm)

Slave-maker ants act somewhat like parasites as they enslaved other ants to make the ants work for them. They can grow up to 1cm with red colors all over their body. This ant is generally found in England but is also prevalent in Russia, China, Japan, Africa, and America.

Their most common slaves will be the silky ants. What happens is a battle between the queens and the winner will enslave all the ants. They can also spray their prey similar to red wood ants.

6. Black Carpenter Ant (1.2cm)

The Black Carpenter ant is a species native to Canada and some parts of Eastern America. They mainly live in the forest, especially in dead wood and trees. However, they are considered a pest due to the damage that they do similar to termites.

Measuring 1.2cm in length with white fur and a black body. This ant has a powerful bite and causes excruciating pain in the affected area. They commonly eat small insects and can travel far distances for food.

5. Banded Sugar Ant (1.5cm)

Some might think that this ant has a sweet taste, which is quite true in their diet. The Banded Sugar Ant is found all over Australia and can live in various habitats. It can grow up to 1.5cm in length with a distinguishable female having an orange band in the middle of their body with a black head.

ADVERT

Its counterpart only has a black head with orange to brown legs. It also acts like a termite causing damage to anything made out of wood. They are also capable of killing other small ants despite not having any venom.

4. Dinoponera Quadriceps (2cm)

This queenless ant is the fourth biggest ant in the world and has venoms to attack its prey. It is a species native to Brazil and lived in the humid forest. It has a total black body measuring 2 cm long.

Since it has no queen, all the females are capable of reproducing. They also eat other small insects and can use their venom to defend themselves against bigger creatures. You might want to avoid stepping on their nest as their bite is incredibly painful and long-lasting.

3. Carpenter Ant (2.5cm)

Its scientific name Camponotus ligniperda is known as the carpenter ant as they are very skillful in building their own nest on wood. Aside from the dead wood in the forest, they can also build their nest in the couch of your home and cause some serious damage around.

The carpenter ant is generally black to dark brown in color with a body length of 2.5cm. This ant is highly aggressive and will defend itself at all costs.

2. Bullet Ant (3cm)

This is considered one of the most dangerous ants in the world as they are known for causing excruciating pain from their bite. They can grow up to 3cm in length and typically live by the forest floor of South and Central America.

ADVERT

Aside from being huge in size, its dark red color definitely looks alarming. Their painful bite is often compared to a bullet shot and hence the name. Their venom has a neurotoxin that can cause paralysis in small victims.

1. Giant Amazonian (4cm)

The biggest ant in the world will be the Giant Amazonian species which can grow to more than 4cm. This ant can be found in South America and live in the forest. The female is black in color which is quite different from the male with a dark red color.

This species is highly territorial and will attack any incoming invaders. They dig their nest underground and usually eat other small insects and even snails.

Source:

• IDN Times

Also read: Top 7 Most Dangerous Ants In The World