Natal droptail ant
Myrmicaria natalensis
The Natal droptail ant is an African ant with a funny shape. The back end of its body curves downwards, like a drooping tail. It also has little spines on its back.
Lives in
Africa south of the Sahara, from Guinea to South Africa
What does it eat?
Like most ants, it gathers different kinds of food and carries it home to the nest.
How fast is it?
A garden snail about 0.05 km/h (0.03 mph)
A tortoise about 0.3 km/h (0.19 mph)
Natal droptail ant about 0.3 km/h (0.19 mph)
A person walking about 5 km/h (3.1 mph)
cool stuff
Fun facts
1
Its name comes from the down-curved end of its body, which looks like a drooping tail.
2
It lives in many African countries, from Guinea and Ivory Coast to Namibia and South Africa.
3
Natal is an old name for a part of South Africa, where the first one was found.
you asked
Most asked questions about Natal droptail ant
?Why is it called a droptail ant?
Because the back end of its body bends downwards like a drooping tail.
?Where does the Natal droptail ant live?
In many countries in Africa, south of the Sahara desert.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Myrmicaria natalensis
- Group
- Ants
- Family
- Formicidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Hymenoptera > Formicidae
- Lives on
- Africa
Where the facts come from
- Myrmicaria natalensis (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by JMK. CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.
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