Fruit Fly vs Florida Carpenter Ant

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Fruit Fly Florida Carpenter Ant
Scientific Name Drosophila melanogaster Camponotus floridanus
Order Diptera Hymenoptera
Family Drosophilidae Formicidae
Size 2-4 mm 5-11 mm
Habitat Woodlands Woodlands
Diet Fruit Feeders Omnivores
Regions Worldwide Southeastern United States
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Fruit Fly

The most studied organism in genetics. Six Nobel Prizes have been awarded for research on this tiny fly. 75% of human disease genes have recognizable matches in its genome.

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Did You Know?

The fruit fly shares 60% of its DNA with humans and 75% of human disease genes have a match in the fruit fly genome — making it invaluable for medical research.

Florida Carpenter Ant

A bicolored carpenter ant with a reddish-orange head and thorax and black abdomen. It is the most common structural pest ant in Florida.

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Did You Know?

Florida carpenter ants have among the largest genomes of any ant species studied, containing around 240 million base pairs.