army ant
Quick Summary
Army ants, specifically the Eciton genus found in Central and South America, are aggressive, nomadic insects that live in large colonies. They are considered keystone species because they are major predators that significantly influence the biodiversity of their Neotropical forest habitats.12
These ants are highly social insects with distinct castes: a queen, workers (minims), and soldier ants (majors). Colonies can range from 100,000 to over 2 million individuals. Army ants do not build permanent nests; instead, they form temporary shelters called bivouacs made of their own bodies. They are diurnal hunters, moving frequently to new foraging grounds to prey on a variety of invertebrates and small vertebrates. Their diet includes insects, spiders, frogs, and lizards. Many other animal species depend on army ants for survival, either by preying on the ants themselves or by scavenging on prey flushed out by the ant swarms. Deforestation poses a threat to army ant populations by fragmenting their essential forest habitats.123
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