# Common Giant Turtle Ant

*Cephalotes atratus*

When knocked off a branch, they can glide backwards through the air to land safely on the trunk of their home tree.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Hymenoptera › Formicidae › Cephalotes
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** forest
- **Habitat:** Tropical rainforest canopy and tree trunks
- **Diet:** Omnivorous, feeding on extrafloral nectar, honeydew, pollen, and carrion
- **Range:** Central America, South America, Amazon Rainforest
- **Size:** 8-14 mm in length
- **Lifespan:** Workers live 6-12 months; queens can live several years
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Deforestation, canopy habitat fragmentation, and pesticide use.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless but defensive if handled. Maintain a safe distance and observe them on tree trunks without touching. If handled, they may pinch with their mandibles. If bitten, wash the area with soap and water.

## About

Cephalotes atratus is a species of arboreal ant in the genus Cephalotes , a genus characterized by its odd shaped head. These ants are known as gliding ants because of their ability to "parachute" by steering their fall if they lose their footing.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/5b1bc96b-7174-4b99-85de-a03c74a80df9
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/366960
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cephalotes atratus
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/102613582/medium.jpeg (Jonghyun Park, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.