The legionary ant or "marabunta", fearsome hunters

Marabunta .The simple word already scares us.It reminds us of that classic movie in which, we saw a reddish mass of insects advancing as extensive as the tongue of the sea about to cover an immense terrain.Devouring everything that was in its path: houses, animals and even people.

But what about this? Are the legionnaire ants as scary as the cinema has made us believe?

The legionary ant or

When the marabunta roars, 1954

A very powerful enemy, the legionary ant

Cinema always oversizes things.But not for that reason, these unique ants cause less expectation.On the contrary.The so-called "marabunta" is actually a type of legionary ant in whose category many, many families and subfamilies.In fact, there can be up to 200 different types of warrior or legionary ants.

And their behavior is as scary as it is effective, hence their name, because if we know them a little more, they will remind us of fierce marines instructed with a firm purpose: to kill.And their technique is simply infallible.

The legionary ant or

They do not have a fixed anthill in which, to carry out a life within the classic hierarchy that we all know.Legionnaire ants move incessantly.They are nomads.They form huge armies with more than a million members who advance tirelessly across huge grounds to kill and feed.It is estimated that per day they can take the lives of about 100,000 animals, usually small arthropods..

And it is curious, in fact, to observe how, as the advance of the marabunta, , many birds usually accompany them.The reason? There are many small animals that escape by sensing the proximity of legionary ants, escapes that serve these birds to hunt them in the middle of that escape full of fear. And it is not for less...

The legionary ant or

Surely you have already noticed their huge and sharp jaws. They give real fear, they have such strength that they can lift other animals that double or triple their weight.They cut them in half and later, they take the remains to their particular nest.

This nest is organized every day at night.It is a phenomenon worthy of observation that surprises anyone: the ants intertwine each other to form a dark and dense cluster called «bivouac» .And in the center of all of them, is the queen.

The legionary ant or

Are they dangerous for man?

We all wonder.Legionnaire ants really dangerous to man? They say their sting causes real pain and some injury, they are voracious and we cannot overlook their powerful stinger, capable of inoculating formic acid .But the truth is that neither of these two things can take away the life.Now, your real danger is neither of these two things, your real risk is in the gigantic number of individuals that usually form.It is like seeing a reddish savanna move along the floor full of small voracious and very violent animals...

We leave you a more illustrative video so that you know them better:

If you liked this article, also know the worm that causes suicides...incredible!

Image: CamiSilver

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