第 1026 號，共 1 402 號

Matabele ant

Megaponera analis

名字的由來： The common name Matabele ant comes from the Matabele people, fierce warriors of the 1800s, because of the ant's organised raiding. The scientific name analis is Latin for 'anus-related', and it refers to the strong smell of its chemicals.1

只是會痛會痛，但不會對你造成嚴重傷害。

螞蟻

螫吃：肉

對人的危險: 疼痛可能會非常痛，但幾乎從來不會很嚴重。

The Matabele ant is one of the largest ants in the world, and it hunts termites in raiding columns. It lives across much of sub-Saharan Africa. It is known for its teamwork, including rescuing and caring for injured nestmates.1

分布在

Sub-Saharan Africa, from about 25° S to 12° N1

非洲

首頁

Nests are mostly underground, up to 0.7 metres deep, and are often found next to trees, rocks or abandoned termite hills. Some nests also contain frogs of the species Phrynomantis microps.1

長度

5 mm 到 2,5 cm (0,2 in 到 1 in)1

最高速度

大約 0,27 km/h（0,17 mph）

在陸地上, 粗略估計

牠吃什麼？

They are termite-eating ants that raid termite feeding sites, focusing on termites from the subfamily Macrotermitinae. A raid usually involves 200 to 500 ants, which break open the termites' protective layer and rush into the galleries to kill them.1

Matabele ant 的照片 — Matabele ant。照片：Jonghyun Park。 CC BY 4.0, iNaturalist.

怎麼認出牠

Worker ants are 5 to 18 millimetres long, and some individuals reach up to 25 millimetres.1
Larger workers make up to half of the colony.1
Minor workers have less hair and smoother jaws (mandibles) than major workers.1
They move in a column-like line when raiding termite sites.1
Their glands release chemicals that smell like human faeces.1

毒液力量

螫

毒液從螫針出來。

牠對人有多危險？

對人的危險: 疼痛可能會非常痛，但幾乎從來不會很嚴重。

牠害怕時會做什麼？

When attacked by driver ants outside the nest, they check each other's legs and antennae and remove any enemy ants clinging to them.1

如果牠螫人

清洗並冷敷螫傷處。
如果傷者呼吸困難、臉部或喉嚨腫脹，或覺得快要昏倒，這就是過敏急症：打緊急電話。

一定要先打緊急電話（112、000、911）。這是一般急救指引，不是醫療建議。急救基本知識

注意安全

絕對不要碰、抓或捉弄野生動物，就算是很小的動物，就算牠看起來在睡覺或已經死了也一樣。
給牠空間。如果遇到了，保持冷靜，慢慢往後退，讓牠自己離開。
如果被牠螫了：保持冷靜，保持不動，打緊急電話（112、000、911）或趕快去醫院。記住牠的樣子，有照片會很有幫助。

牠不是想來抓你。牠用毒液來捕捉食物或保護自己，而且牠更想躲起來。更多安全知識

在世界上的哪裡？

非洲亞洲歐洲北美洲南美洲澳洲與大洋洲

牠有多大？

牠有多長？

大約跟一根迴紋針一樣長

Matabele ant 跟「你」比起來有多大？

只是在你的瀏覽器裡做算術。什麼都不會儲存，也不會傳送到任何地方。

牠有多快？

一隻花園蝸牛 大約 0,05 km/h (0,03 mph)

Matabele ant 大約 0,27 km/h (0,17 mph)

一隻陸龜 大約 0,3 km/h (0,19 mph)

值得知道

小知識

They are the first recorded non-human species to treat the wounds of other individuals consistently, by licking them for several minutes.1

Injured ants send out a chemical call for help, and nestmates carry them back to the nest. This reduces the mortality rate of injured ants from 32% to close to zero.1

Injured ants that have lost one or two legs adapt to walking on four or five legs and can reach running speeds similar to healthy ants.1

Some individuals reach up to 25 millimetres, which makes this one of the world's largest ants.1

Frogs of the species Phrynomantis microps are sometimes found in their nests, and these frogs produce a skin secretion that calms the ants' aggression.1

Scout ants lead raids from the front and lay pheromone trails, so the other ants can find their way back to the nest.1

給毒液專家

學名: Megaponera analis
類群: 螞蟻
家人: Formicidae2
排序: Hymenoptera
各大洲: 非洲
寶寶: The nest chamber holds the eggs, larvae, cocoons and the queen. New colonies are thought to form when a new queen leaves with some workers from an established colony.1
對人的危險: 2 / 5: 疼痛3