Native to: Africa or Asia (scientists are not sure which).

Introduced to: Many cities in the tropics, parts of the U.S., and on many tropical islands from Hawaii to Zanzibar.

   
 

On Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean, Crazy Ants live in huge "supercolonies" and eat red crabs. They may have killed up to three million crabs in one 18 month period, throwing the island ecosystem off balance!

The ants also prey on insects, reptiles, birds, and small mammals, even pigs and dogs! In some areas, the ants eat the sugary droppings of sap-sucking insects, and protect them from predators. When sap-sucking insect numbers rise unchecked, they can damage the rainforest canopy.

 
   
 

1) The Crazy Ant gets its name from its unusual, rapid, jerky movements.

2) The Crazy Ant has a nozzle on its abdomen which it uses to spray formic acid over enemies. Formic acid is one of the strongest acids in the world!