Check out our top ten strangest ants on the planet. The range from the cute to the weird and to the down right scary.
1. Turtle Head Ant
Turtlehead ants are part of the Cephalotes, a broad genus of ants. It`s strange shape head is used as a door to plug gaps in wood. They live in parts of south and central America.
2. Thistledown Velvet Ant
Thistledown ants are part of the Dasymutilla genus. They can be found in the southern Untied states and down in Mexico. They can deliver a very nasty sting despite their cute appearance.
3. Armored Arboreal Ant
These ants spend their life in the tree tops. They are found in both the United states and Africa. They have a very tough shell for protection hence their name.
4. Blue Velvet Ant
These ants look totally amazing. But in fact they are not actually ants. They are a species of wingless wasp. The females have a very large stinger which will cause extreme pain, so don’t mess with one if you come across it.
5. Red Velvet Ant
Very similar to the blue velvet ant as listed above. Another very painful stinging insect so best stay clear if you ever see one.
6. Fish Hook Ant
This strange looking ant is from Cambodia. It has three pairs of barbed hooks along it`s body and just like a real fish hook if you get impaled it`s tricky to remove.
If attacked by a larger predator these ants all link together to make an impenetrable mass.
7. Giant Amazon Ant
Probably the most scary of all the ants on our list. This ant is an absolute giant and also has an incredibly painful sting.
They live in the Amazon region of south America and be thankful that you don’t. They are not as common as there famous relative the bullet ant but are much larger and can grow to 1.6 inches in length making them the largest ant in the world.
8. Glider Ant
These ants also live in trees and have developed a method of getting from one tree to another by gliding. Their flat body shape lets them pick up the breeze and effortless glide from one tree to the other throughout the forest.
9. Honey Pot Ant
These ants gorge themselves on plant nectar to the point where their abdomens swell to an enormously crazy size. In times of famine or drought other ants in the colony will line up to receive their share of the excreted sweet liquid.
In some dessert areas humans have learned where to find these ants which have proven very useful in survival situations.
10. Panda Ant
This may seem like a cute little ant but it is one of the most deadly ants in the world. They are nicknamed cow killers and you can imagine why.
Cows have been known to wonder too close to the Panda Ant`s nest and are quickly swarmed by these little terrors that sting the cow so much it`s enough to kill it.
