Bull ants are Australia’s tiny tyrants
Bec Crew
Bec Crew
Ants are often seen as industrious and cooperative – an embodiment of teamwork and efficiency. Loyal to queen and colony, they won’t hesitate to make whatever sacrifice is necessary to ensure the survival of the group.
But what if we inject a bit more aggression into the mix? Okay, how about a lot of aggression? Because now we’ve got bull ants.
Bull ants belong to the genus Myrmecia, which contains more than 90 recorded species. They’re overwhelmingly found in Australia (of course they are). In fact, all but one species – which is found in New Caledonia – are native only to Australia. Their range across Australia is extensive, particularly in the south-east.
These ants are built to fight. They’re unusually large, and have powerful, serrated mandibles and a stinger on their abdomen that really can pack a punch. Not only can bull ants deliver multiple stings in quick succession, but some people are so allergic to their venom, a single sting has proven fatal.
If that weren’t enough, bull ants have managed to evolve excellent eyesight.
Not only can they track and relentlessly follow intruders from a distance of up to 1m – which doesn’t sound like much until you consider that they’re just 40mm long – but they also have different sight capabilities depending on their role within the colony.
A 2011 study led by Dr Ajay Narendra, then at the Australian National University and now at Macquarie University, found that worker bull ants have great night vision, while higher-status winged ants developed stronger daytime eyesight.
Ajay and his colleagues point out that it’s very unusual to have different vision capabilities – and different eye structures – within the same species. It speaks to how complex the bull ant’s colony life really is.
A bull ant colony can support as many as 3000 individuals. And each one must adhere to a strict social hierarchy. At the top is the queen, who establishes a winding subterranean burrow, and lays eggs deep inside a nesting chamber.
Once they hatch, many of these offspring will develop into small, wingless, sterile females. These workers will keep the colony functioning, scouting prey above ground, hunting it down, and dragging it back to the nest.
Some of the female larvae will grow up to be fertile and winged. Once they fly above ground and mate, they’ll lose their wings and return underground to become egg-laying queens – some for up to 15 years.
The male larvae will grow up to mate, then die. Which does seem a little unfair, because at least the females get night vision or (temporary) wings.
It’s a tough life, and no one seems to be having a good time, but that’s not the queen’s problem. She’s never even heard of a complaints box, and if she did, she would order her workers to disassemble it and feed it to her children.
