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Army ant soldier showing large jaws

Army ant

Army ants live in Central and South America. They have a completely carnivorous diet. This is because they need a high fat content in their food so their larvae can complete their growth and development.

Scientific name: Eciton burchellii

Rank: Species

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Distribution

Map showing the distribution of the Army ant taxa

Species range provided by WWF's Wildfinder.

The Army ant can be found in a number of locations including: Amazon Rainforest, South America. Find out more about these places and what else lives there.

Habitats

The following habitats are found across the Army ant distribution range. Find out more about these environments, what it takes to live there and what else inhabits them.

Rainforest Rainforest
Rainforests are the world's powerhouses, the most vital habitats on the planet. Characterised by high rainfall, they only cover 6% of the Earth across the tropical regions, but they contain more than half of its plant and animal species.

Behaviours

Discover what these behaviours are and how different plants and animals use them.

Additional data source: Animal Diversity Web

About

Eciton burchellii is the predominant species of the genus Eciton and a type of New World army ant. Distinct in its expansive, highly organized swarm raids, it is often considered the archetypal species of "Eciton army ant" — so much that the term has become its common name — and remains one of the most heavily investigated of all ant species.

Like most ant species, they are polymorphic, meaning that individuals vary in size: a colony contains workers ranging from 3 mm to 12 mm, with each specific "caste" suited to specialized tasks. Like other species of Eciton, E. burchellii features a highly modified soldier caste bearing long, pointed, characteristically falcate (sickle-shaped) mandibles. Their long legs and elongated body lend them a spider-like appearance. Color varies from deep golden to dark brown. Workers possess single-faceted compound eyes, double-segmented waists, a well-developed sting, and specialized tarsal hooks on their feet with which they cling to one another to form bridges and bivouacs.

Colonies may be quite large, accommodating as many as 100,000 to 2,000,000 adult individuals. Each colony consists of a single queen, a brood of developing young, and a majority of adult workers.

Members of the species have been observed using their bodies to block potholes in a path between the nest and prey. The ants will each walk to a hole and measure themselves to see if they are a fit for it and if they are, will lie across the hole to allow other members of the colony to cross at higher speed. If they do not fit, they will continue past the hole and allow another ant to check. Once in place in a hole the ant can stay there for many hours, until it is dark and the traffic flow has diminished greatly, at which point they will return to the nest.

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