We are all familiar with the spectacle of lions on the prowl somewhere on the great plains of Africa. Maybe on the same wildlife television series we have seen other pack animals hunting together, chasing their prey, tiring them out and then going in for the kill.
In the jungles of the Americas and in Africa there is a act of predation that leaves the lions, hyenas, wolves etc, behind in the dust. It is an act so violent and unstoppable that we must be grateful for the ability to move out of it’s way.
On one side of the ocean they are called Army ants and on the other Driver (or Safari) ants but their behaviour is similar enough to be in this same article together.
When the ants are on the hunt there is nothing that can stop them and what ever can’t escape them is killed and devoured. Should the swarm or column reach an area of civilization, such as a farm in the jungle, and livestock are unfortunate enough to be in the way of the ants then they will be killed. Dogs that are tied up will be killed. Luckily the locals know how to deal with them….. they just move out of the way. The ants will go through a hut if it is in their way and remove every insect there is hiding in the cracks, also rats and other vermin are flushed out. When the swarm has moved on then the owners move back in to a nicely cleaned home.
The reason for the massive movement of the entire colony of ants is the fact that they are such efficient predators that they clean out the area around where they live and need to move on to ‘greener pastures’.
Whilst working in Africa helping to set up a reptile park we had the misfortune of having a Driver ant column go through one of our display cases. Despite there being some of the most dangerous snakes in the world in those cases there was only some skin and bones left the following morning.
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