Hercules Ant vs Pacific Velvet Ant

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Hercules Ant Pacific Velvet Ant
Scientific Name Camponotus herculeanus Dasymutilla sackenii
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Formicidae Mutillidae
Size 6-14 mm 10-16 mm
Habitat Forests Beaches & Coastal
Diet Sap Feeders Parasitoids
Regions Northern Europe, Northern Asia, Northern North America Western North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Hercules Ant

A large black carpenter ant of boreal and montane forests across the Northern Hemisphere. Major workers have massive heads with powerful mandibles for excavating wood.

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Did You Know?

They can survive temperatures below minus 20 degrees Celsius by producing glycerol as a biological antifreeze.

Pacific Velvet Ant

A medium-sized velvet ant with orange and black coloring found along the Pacific coast of North America. It parasitizes ground-nesting bees and wasps.

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Did You Know?

Males are winged and look so different from the wingless females that they were originally described as separate species.