Meat Ants
(Iridomyrmex purpureus)
Order
Hymenoptera
Family
Formicidae
Alternative Names
: Gravel Ant
 Reasons to Love the Meat
Ant :
Meat Ants are the most abundant ant in Australia and belongs
to the genus Irdomyrmex. The Meat Ant is also known as the
Gravel Ant and measures up to 1cm long. They build large nests
underground and use sand, gravel or dead vegetation to line the
surface around the nest entrance. The worker ants have powerful
jaws and communicate using chemical signals. The workers are
very aggressive and often attack in large numbers when they
feel the vibrations of an intruder. Meat Ants do not sting but
do have a nasty bite and can discharge a defensive chemical
which really smells awful. Meat ants are omnivores eating
plants and animals. The look for food during daylight hours.
The ants are sometimes involved in border disputes with other
rival colonies which is resolved by ritual fighting.
Australian farmers sometimes use the ants as a quick and easy
way to remove an animal carcass by placing the dead animal over
a nest. Within a few weeks the ants would have stripped the
carcass to bones. Aboriginals have used this technique for
centuries and have referred to this act in several of their
stories such as the legend of Mulka Cave.
 Social Life of the Meat
Ant
The meat ants work in mutually beneficial relationships with
other insects such as caterpillars and butterfies. The
caterpillars supply the meat ants with sugary fluids in
exchange for protection against predators. Some birds place
ants in their feathers to protect the bird against parasites or
bacterias. It is believed that the formic acid or a secretion
produced by the ants acts as a deterent. The meat ants just
love making tracks. Thousands of these marching workers stomp
back and forth from their abode everyday, making an easy
visible trail. For those less brighter of the colony a chemical
is sprayed along the track so as not to get lost. The
queen ant can run her colony for up to 15 years and
it is not uncommon to have break away colonies.
Meat Ants in
Dreamtime
An Aboriginal dreamtime story called "The Meat Ants and
Fire" tells the tale of how Meat Ants showed a tribe how to
make fire. The tribe known as the Meat Ants kept the secret to
themselves until a young Aboriginal man from another tribe
found out the secret and sought to share the knowledge with all
tribes. The young man having ignited a stick ran from the Meat
Ant tribe, who gave chase. The young man climbed down a vine
and cut it at its base. When the tribe followed they all fell
to their death. The children of the tribe all turned into Meat
Ants and into the same colour as fire.
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