Nigerian Driver Ant vs South American Giant Diving Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Nigerian Driver Ant South American Giant Diving Beetle
Scientific Name Dorylus nigricans Megadytes ducalis
Order Hymenoptera Coleoptera
Family Dorylidae Dytiscidae
Size Workers 3-14 mm; queen up to 52 mm 35-45 mm
Habitat Rivers & Streams Rivers & Streams
Diet Carrion Feeders Omnivores
Regions West Africa, Central Africa Brazil, Amazon Basin
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Nigerian Driver Ant

A large driver ant species with massive soldier caste bearing sickle-shaped mandibles. Raiding columns can stretch over 100 meters.

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Did You Know?

Their queens are the largest known ants in the world and can lay up to 4 million eggs per month.

South American Giant Diving Beetle

One of the largest diving beetles in South America with a glossy dark olive body. It inhabits large rivers and lakes of the Amazon basin.

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Did You Know?

It is among the largest dytiscid beetles in the Western Hemisphere.