Bulldog Ant
An Introduction to the Bulldog Ant
The bulldog ant, which was once spread across the globe, is now largely found in Australia. These ants with their inch long body and sharp eyesight are terrific hunters. They go after unlikely prey such as bees and carpenter ants and use their stinger with maximum impact. The species is Myrmecia and is also sometimes called jack-jumpers. They have distinctive large eyes, extraordinary vision which allows them to track and follow prey from a considerable distance and they also have a slim and long body.
These ants are reputed for their aggression and their venomous stings. The poison of the bulldog ant is supposed to have a small chance of even inducing anaphylactic shock in its sting victims. There is a vaccine used to counteract the sting of these ants as it is thought that an untreated bulldog sting can cause a strong reaction. There are about 100 different species of this ant in Eastern Australia and they are sometimes just called bull ants. They have a red thorax and abdomen and a black head.
The bulldog ant and its appearance tie in with scientific theories that ants evolved from wasp like creatures. This particular ant species also has the distinction of being one of the oldest of ant lineages in the world and it has been around for almost 100 million years now. They are said to have come with a couple of other ant species at the time with flowering plants started spreading on earth. They are almost considered primitive because they seem like the ancestors of other species of ants. There are fossils of these ants that have been discovered in varied parts of their world and these serve to prove their long presence on earth and their extensive spread. It is unclear why they are no longer found in other regions and why they are only to be found in Australia.
The bulldog ants are typical of ants in that they live in organized colonies. The males and queen are easily identifiable during the mating season because of their wings and the females without the wings functions as the worker ants because they are infertile and not ready for breeding. The bulldog ants are unlike other ant species in that these ants do not have a strong sense of smell. In keeping with their classification as primitive, these bulldog ants do not have an evolved sense of cooperation and colony structure. They tend to be alone when going after prey and they do not always work with other bulldog ants.
The aggressive and attacking bulldog ant does not eat the meat of its prey but feeds on its juices. The meat itself is used for the larvae in the colony. The infertile eggs of the worker ants are also use to feed the larvae and the queen. They serve the purpose of provide.ng all the nutrition that the young ants need to grow strong and healthy.
Bulldog ants built their colonies underground. They create an extensive tunnel system and the queen usually stays tucked in the safest recesses. So, if there is any attack or danger to the colony, the queen stands the highest chances of escaping. It is a telling example of a species instinct for survival.
Those hoping to see this ant in its natural setting should proceed with caution and remember that they are really aggressive creatures. They are known to jump on kids and there are cases of adults who have died from their reaction to the poison of the bulldog ant. This is not an ant that can be treated lightly but one that is best handled as a predator.