I was watching a TV several months ago and they were talking about African ants “Isaafu” or something to that effect. They supposedly were Africas largest predator and ate over several billion organisms a day. Does anyone know what specie of ant I am talking about? Thanks for any help.
They might be the so-called driver ants. Here is a description of Britannica
*"African member of the insect subfamily Dorylinae (family Formicidae; order Hymenoptera) characterized by a nomadic existence alternating with quiet, egg-laying periods. These ferocious ant colonies, when in the nomadic stage, move to a new spot each day.
Using their powerful cutting jaws, driver ants attack everything in their path, including snakes, birds, mammals, and even human beings. Their systematic search for prey involves climbing into trees and shrubs. The African driver ant is similar to the New World army ant (Eciton)."*
When a colony of these ants is on the move the best thing to do, as I understand it, is to get out of the way. There are too many of them to resist.
I would guess it to be a native word for the African “driver ant”, subfamily Dorylinae. They have colonies of millions of individuals, and if considered a single cooperative organism, are often touted as a very formidable “predator”. According to Richard Dawkins (The Blind Watchmaker), fear of them is somewhat overrated: