army ant
noun
: any of a subfamily (Dorylinae) of aggressive nomadic tropical ants that prey on insects and spiders
Examples of army ant in a Sentence
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Every insect poses different challenges, but Cockerill told Ars that wrangling the army ants on location in the Costa Rican rainforest was probably the trickiest.
—
Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 24 Jan. 2024
National Geographic/Jamie Thorpe Director of Photography Alex Jones films army ants and an elephant beetle in Costa Rica.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 24 Jan. 2024
Muratore and her collaborators believe an army ant’s collaborative capabilities could soon help engineers program swarms of robots based on the insect’s behavior principles and brains.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 22 Nov. 2023
Apart from their nasty stings, army ant colonies are often known for their stunning, intricate architectural feats using their own bodies.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 22 Nov. 2023
Ultimately, the researchers say that the species is the second oldest army ant species to be identified, and the first (and only) to be identified in Europe, which was much warmer and wetter 35 million years ago.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 29 Nov. 2022
The outcome is a fascinating visualization of army ant nests and a unique insight into the behaviour behind such complex self-assembly.
—The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 22 Oct. 2021
Further analysis of its morphological and phylogenetic features revealed that the insect likely lived underground and was a close ancestor of a type of modern army ant from Africa and Asia, known as the Dorylus.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 29 Nov. 2022
To ride their bucking steeds, the beetles rely on a pair of specialized pincers perfect for grasping an army ant's waist.
—Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 10 Feb. 2017
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Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 24 Jan. 2024
National Geographic/Jamie Thorpe Director of Photography Alex Jones films army ants and an elephant beetle in Costa Rica.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 24 Jan. 2024
Muratore and her collaborators believe an army ant’s collaborative capabilities could soon help engineers program swarms of robots based on the insect’s behavior principles and brains.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 22 Nov. 2023
Apart from their nasty stings, army ant colonies are often known for their stunning, intricate architectural feats using their own bodies.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 22 Nov. 2023
Ultimately, the researchers say that the species is the second oldest army ant species to be identified, and the first (and only) to be identified in Europe, which was much warmer and wetter 35 million years ago.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 29 Nov. 2022
The outcome is a fascinating visualization of army ant nests and a unique insight into the behaviour behind such complex self-assembly.
—The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 22 Oct. 2021
Further analysis of its morphological and phylogenetic features revealed that the insect likely lived underground and was a close ancestor of a type of modern army ant from Africa and Asia, known as the Dorylus.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 29 Nov. 2022
To ride their bucking steeds, the beetles rely on a pair of specialized pincers perfect for grasping an army ant's waist.
—Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 10 Feb. 2017
Cite this Entry
“Army ant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/army%20ant. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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