Talk:Killer ants

The photos used in this article are copyrighted, and are used by permission (see below) from the author, Bart Drees, Director, Texas Imported Fire Ant Project, Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University. The particular photos I used were taken by Dr. Drees.

Many more images like these can be seen at their Fire Ant Web site (Home Page (http://fireant.tamu.edu/), Photos (http://fireant.tamu.edu/materials/graphics/photo/photo)).

Correspondence

B. M. Drees, Hi.

Those photographs are wonderful! You can see the first version of my article at /wiki/Killer_ants .

I would like to add (reduced size) versions of the following photos:

5. RIFA 24. RIFA mound 48. RIFA stinging 98. Red harvester ants 99. Pharaoh ant 100. Yellow crazy ant 110. Cow killer ant

Also, if you have photos of the following (especially Army ants and Driver ants), I would love to include them:

• Red velvet ants (Dasymusilla magnifica)

• Argentine ants (Linepithema humile)

• Bulldog ants (Soldier ants, Genus Myrmecia)

• Bullet ants (Paraponera clavata)

• Honeypot ants (genus Myrmecocystus)

• Amazon ants (Polyergus breviceps)

• New World Army ants (Eciton burchelli)

• Driver ants (Subfamily Dorylinae, Subgenus Anomma)

Thanks, David

Dear David Spector

You have my permission to use those images. Note that I did not take all of them. Please cite the photographer and source (either Texas A&M Univ. or our web site address) with each slide.

B. M. Drees

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Killer ants is a term to describe any of several species of ants that are predatory, attack en masse when their mounds are disturbed, and can kill animals many times their size (even deer). They have been called the fiercest predators on Earth. Predator ants kill more individuals than all the big predators combined.

Certainly most ants, killers or not, can't kill healthy deer. Most sources say things like driver ants will kill animals as large as rabbits if that can't get out of the way, but that is not quite the same thing. Where is this documented? It doesn't seem to come from the Fire Ant website linked to above.

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The main colony of Argentine Ants is described as Italy, Atlantic coast of Spain. Should it be main colonies? If not, which is the main one?

jimfbleak 12:15 26 May 2003 (UTC)

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I forget the reference for killer ants killing deer, but this happens when livestock are tied up, so they can't escape. An example was shown in the recent Public TV documentary on killer ants. They also described a case in which a baby was attacked (although its cries brought immediate rescue). By the way, Fire Ants are not usually considered to be killer ants, I believe.

No, it should be 'colony'. This particular one, although very large, is considered to be a single compound organism, much as is a coral reef or a grove of connected trees. (The oldest living organism is considered to be a certain grove of connected trees.)

David 16:26 20 Jun 2003 (UTC)

Killing animals which are tied down is much easier than killing those which are free, and to avoid sensationalism I think it's important to note the difference. Since big predators don't kill many people, I wonder how valuable it is to note ants kill more - so do livestock, which aren't especially fierce.

Anonymous

Killer ants have been called the greatest predators on Earth. Obviously they are not the greatest predators of large mammals. David 16:24 23 Jun 2003 (UTC)