West African Driver Ant vs Green Tree Ant

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute West African Driver Ant Green Tree Ant
Scientific Name Dorylus molestus Oecophylla smaragdina subnitida
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Formicidae Formicidae
Size 3-14 mm 5-10 mm
Habitat Forests Forests
Diet Omnivores Nectar Feeders
Regions East Africa, Kenya, Tanzania Northern Australia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

West African Driver Ant

A large East African driver ant known for its painful bites that are difficult to remove once clamped. Columns can stretch for hundreds of meters through montane forests.

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Did You Know?

Their major workers have sickle-shaped mandibles so powerful that they can pierce leather boots.

Green Tree Ant

An Australian subspecies of the Asian weaver ant with distinctive bright green coloring. Indigenous Australians have traditionally eaten them and used their nests for medicinal purposes.

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Did You Know?

They taste like lime or lemongrass due to their high formic acid content and are eaten as bush food in northern Australia.