November, 2012 – Graham Miln

Australian Ants

Australia’s reputation for large insects and dangerous animals is well known. In daily life encountering the nastier creatures however is unlikely. What does surprise me is the size of the more mundane animals.

Ants in particular stand out as both bigger and smaller than those I know from the United Kingdom. There are multiple sizes of ants and they appear to be able to nest in overlapping regions.

Close up of two ants in Sydney, Australia

I have frequently watched tiny swarms of ants walking around larger single ants. They do not interact and seem not to be from the same nest.

This afternoon I noticed a larger pair of ants and took the opportunity to take some footage. The resulting film is available on YouTube and embedded below.

The larger ant follows the smaller for most of the time.
The larger ant follows the smaller for most of the time.

The scale of the ants is difficult to judge.
The scale of the ants is difficult to judge.

The ants have no problems scaling vertical surfaces.
The ants have no problems scaling vertical surfaces.