Matabele Ant

Megaponera Analis

Matabele Ant (Megaponera Analis)
  • Judy Gallagher, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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    • Color: Black, shiny
    • Worker size: 5-18 millimetres
    • Colony size: ~700-2000
    • Queen: 1 inch, colony fission

    Introduction

    Matabele ants are named after a ferocious African tribe that killed a lot of other tribes in the 1800s. These ants exhibit polymorphism, so some minors are only half a centimetre while majors are 1.8 cm long! The queen can reach one inch in length! After mating in a Nuptial Flight, queens will keep around 50 workers from the original colony to serve her. Matabele ants are black in coloration.

    Unique Traits

    Termite Raiders

    Ants and termites have long been enemies, and Matabele ants are one of the ants that have a special taste for termite blood. They follow pheromone trails from their scouts and raid en masse. The termites themselves are hard to beat, and they fight fiercely to attack the intruders. The Matabele attackers sting the defender’s heads to immobilize them and their jaws. When the ants return to their nest, they bring back their gains, which include freshly killed termites.

    Medic!

    Matabele ants are different from other ants. When Ants are wounded, their colony usually leaves them to die. But Matabele ants pull the wounded back to their nest to heal (unless they are about to die). The wounded also release a pheromone that is a cry for help, so that others can pick them up. Once back in the nest, injured Matabele ants give a chemical signal so that other ants would lick their wounds, which would decrease the mortality rates of raids. The licks also apply antimicrobial compounds, enabling a fast recovery.

    Defences

    Matabele ants have a potent sting that could paralyze their adversaries. They carry back wounded colony members, treating them to become like normal ants again. Severely injured ants do nest jobs, while others continue supporting raids.

    Habitat & Diet

    Matabele ants hunt and kill termites. Termites are their only source of food. The Matabele ants carry dead termites back in clumps of up to 12 termites per clump. These ants are native to South Africa.

    Sources:

    Written by: Eric Qian