Ant (Army, Driver)

About the Ant (Army, Driver)

Also called siafu, they form the largest colonies of any social insect - up to 22 million individuals. They are essentially blind and navigate by pheromone trails. They can kill and consume anything in their path including vertebrates. They construct temporary nests (bivouacs) from their own bodies. They are a keystone species in African rainforests. Birds and other animals follow their swarms to catch fleeing insects. Their mandibles are used as emergency sutures in some African communities. They are nomadic, moving their entire colony every few weeks. They have been around for 100 million years.