army ant
Nomadic colonial predator
Army ants are tropical ants that form massive colonies and hunt in coordinated swarms rather than building permanent nests.
They move in columns of thousands or millions, overwhelming prey—mostly other insects—through sheer numbers.
The term extends to aggressive, collectively moving groups: The reporters descended like army ants.
Sudden armed incursion
- columnVertical structural element
- bivouacTemporary military encampment
- hordeDisorganized, overwhelming crowd
- massQuantity of matter
teeming · multitude · procession · stream · wave · flood · infestation · aggregation
Dependent territorial settlement
- queenMost powerful chess piece
- workerPerson who toils
- mandibleLower facial bone
- antennaBroadcast signal receiver
exoskeleton · larva · pupa · arthropod · invertebrate · pheromone · entomology · six-legged
Movement to new territory
- foragingSeeking wild food sources
- trailPath through wilderness
- trekArduous overland journey
- wanderingTraveling with no fixed course
roving · itinerant · transient · temporary · movement · scouts · expedition · encampment
Pursuing wild game
- preyAnimal being hunted
- carnivorousFeeding on animal flesh
- voraciousExtremely eager to consume
- raidingSudden attack for plunder
swarming · consuming · devouring · stripping · ambush · overwhelming · feasting · pillaging
Organized cooperative movement
- synchronizedOccurring at the same time
- formationCreation or arrangement
- phalanxMassed infantry formation
- disciplineTrained self-control or specialty
efficiency · teamwork · cooperation · superorganism · bridge-building · self-organization · emergent · instinct
raid
Sudden armed incursion
- columnVertical structural element
- bivouacTemporary military encampment
- hordeDisorganized, overwhelming crowd
mass · teeming · multitude · procession · stream · wave · flood · infestation · aggregation · throng
colony
Dependent territorial settlement
antenna · exoskeleton · larva · pupa · arthropod · invertebrate · pheromone · entomology · six-legged · caste
migration
Movement to new territory
wandering · roving · itinerant · transient · temporary · movement · scouts · expedition · encampment · nomadism
hunting
Pursuing wild game
- preyAnimal being hunted
- carnivorousFeeding on animal flesh
- voraciousExtremely eager to consume
raiding · swarming · consuming · devouring · stripping · ambush · overwhelming · feasting · pillaging · devastation
coordination
Organized cooperative movement
- synchronizedOccurring at the same time
- formationCreation or arrangement
- phalanxMassed infantry formation
discipline · efficiency · teamwork · cooperation · superorganism · bridge-building · self-organization · emergent · instinct · communication
- insectsbee, bees, butterfly, butterflies, beetle
- invertebratesinvertebrate, arthropod, arthropods, mollusk, crustacean
- rainforestrainforest, jungle, tropical, tropics, canopy
- antsFormica
- bugsbeetle, cricket, bug, firefly, cockroach
- stinging creaturesbee, wasp, hornet, scorpion, yellow jacket
army antsolitary hunter
Animal that stalks alone
antlion · ambush predator · trapdoor spider · harvester ant · carpenter ant