Japanese carpenter ant

Amazing fact

After mating, female Japanese carpenter ants land on the ground and shed their wings.

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Japanese carpenter ant in its habitat (illustration)

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An illustration based on the real animal.

A little discovery to share.

After mating, female Japanese carpenter ants land on the ground and shed their wings.

SourceTAKAO 599 MUSEUM — クロオオアリ

THE REAL WORLD

The real Japanese carpenter ant

Scientific name: Camponotus japonicus
Japanese name: クロオオアリ
Group: Insects

Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Genus: Camponotus

Facts about the real animal.

An ant found throughout Japan, from Hokkaido to Kyushu.

まちだエコライフ推進公社 — まちだのいきものたちクロオオアリ

It eats small insects, dead insects, and the droppings of aphids.

まちだエコライフ推進公社 — まちだのいきものたちクロオオアリ

Adult ants can be seen from spring to autumn.

まちだエコライフ推進公社 — まちだのいきものたちクロオオアリ

How the Japanese carpenter ant lives

Winged males and females fly out of the nest to mate. The female starts a new nest and lays eggs in a small chamber. The mother ant cares for her earliest young. Workers search for food alone or in small groups.

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Basic data

Size: 7–13 mm
Diet: Small insects, dead insects, aphid excretions and other foods
Range: Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu

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Where the Japanese carpenter ant has been recorded

Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF

Where it livesJapan Asia Grasslands

Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.

Names around the world

日本語: クロオオアリ
简体中文: 日本弓背蚁
繁體中文: 日本弓背蟻
한국어: 일본왕개미
Português (Brasil): Formiga-carpinteira-japonesa
Русский: Японский муравей-древоточец

Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.

Sources and how we check

まちだエコライフ推進公社 — まちだのいきものたちクロオオアリChecked: 2026-11-03
TAKAO 599 MUSEUM — クロオオアリChecked: 2026-11-07
奈良教育大学 — クロオオアリChecked: 2026-11-07

We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.

The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.

The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.

This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.

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