Mediterranean Acrobat Ant

Crematogaster scutellaris

The Mediterranean Acrobat Ant is a small, agile ant known for its unique acrobatic skills. It can flip and climb easily, making it fun to watch as it moves around its home!

Lebensraum: Forests

Aussehen

The Mediterranean Acrobat Ant is a small, reddish-brown ant with a distinct heart-shaped, blackish abdomen that it often raises over its head. Its head and thorax are typically a warm reddish hue, creating a striking contrast with its darker rear.

ReichAnimaliaStammArthropodaKlasseInsectaOrdnungHymenopteraFamilieFormicidaeGattungCrematogaster

Mediterranean Acrobat Ant

Kategorie

Insekten

Seltenheit

Common

Gefahr

2/5 · Gering

Snaps

Mach den ersten Snap!

Interessante Fakten

Its unique abdomen helps it walk upside down with surprising ease!

Queens can live for over 10 years, constantly laying thousands of eggs!

Sometimes, they invade other ant nests to steal their developing larvae.

They communicate using special scent trails to lead others to food.

Besondere Fähigkeiten

Mediterranean Acrobat Ant can raise its heart-shaped abdomen high over its head, ready to spray defensive chemicals, because of its flexible gaster joint.

Mediterranean Acrobat Ant can "farm" tiny aphids, protecting them in exchange for their sugary honeydew, which helps them get energy.

Mediterranean Acrobat Ant can build unique "carton nests" inside trees using chewed wood fibers and saliva that helps shelter their colony.

Maße und Details

Größe: 3-5 mm
Lebenserwartung: 60-365 Tage
Anzahl der Beine: 6
Koloniegröße: 1000-50000

Ernährung und Fütterung

They are tiny omnivores who love sweet liquids and munch on small insects.

Hauptnahrung

Honeydew
Small insects
Nectar
Fruit juices
Sugary secretions

Nahrungssuche

Foraging

Ökologische Zusammenhänge

symbiotic with

Black Bean Aphid

Aphis fabae

Protects aphids for their sugary honeydew.

eaten by

Garden Cross Spider

Araneus diadematus

Spiders prey on foraging ants for food.

eaten by

Great Tit

Parus major

Birds often forage for ground-dwelling insects.

Merkmale

Sozial

Soziale Tiere leben in organisierten Gruppen und kooperieren, um ihr Überleben zu sichern, beispielsweise bei der Nahrungssuche, Verteidigung und Aufzucht der Jungen.

Allesfresser

Dieses Merkmal kennzeichnet Organismen, deren Ernährung sowohl pflanzliche als auch tierische Bestandteile umfasst.

Baumbewohnend

Baumbewohnende Tiere leben hauptsächlich in Bäumen und nutzen diese als Unterschlupf, Nahrungsquelle und zum Schutz vor Raubtieren.

Wald

Waldlebensräume sind terrestrische Lebensräume, die von dichtem Baumbestand dominiert werden und eine große Vielfalt an Pflanzen- und Tierarten beherbergen.