Ntafiong is one of the largest species of ant I have ever seen, it's up to 1 inch, but if you include its antenna, it will be a little more than one inch. I think I am not the only one who feels this particular ant is bigger than usual. Its scientifically recognised name is Megaponera analis, did you get the mega in it? That is likely because of its massive size.

You may know this ant as the Matabele ant, or as the Termite Raider ant. Here in the community I live in, this ant is called Ntafiong.

When disturbed, Ntafiong gives off a very strong smell that lingers around and is so pungent that you may be forced to leave the location for a while. That is why, when this one landed on a rebar at work and a coworker was about to swat it, I quickly intervened because the smell it would give off would make working in the environment very uncomfortable.

And besides, keeping it alive allowed me to pull out my Galaxy A15, approach carefully and capture some of its interesting features like the extra-large mandibles you see in this picture, its moving antennas and the wings it wore on its back like a cape.

I had to use the Micro feature on my Galaxy A15. It helps me capture very small objects. But I had to be careful not to scare it away and at the same time, I remember on two separate occasions I have experienced the excruciating pain that comes from the formic acid they inject during a bite. It hurt with a burning sensation for 3 days, and the spot had a small bump that vanished slowly after days..

Unlike other ants, the Megaponera analis is not aggressive toward humans; it's as if they are crossing their fingers and saying to themselves, "I hope this human will just mind his business ..." saying this while holding onto a can of "smelly-spray". like a kamikaze; with finger-clutching hard on a dead man's switch.

I mean, they will not just come attacking you without provocation. The last time I got stung, it landed on the back of my neck and my hand got to it before my brain, with a swift "Snaap!" anɗ the Ntaffiong responded with a small "neep!", then it burst, and ruptured into real pain that lasted days. When I seem to forget, the bump will pinch hard enough to attract my attention. I'm not sure if it came at regular intervals, but I am certain the pain pinched in hard after some time, as if it were a new bite.

Most of the time I see them in the farm, they have lost their wings but this one could still fly; most likely a new queen looking for a place to call home.

You can see her small eyes with big mandibles like those of a worker. They are likely flushed out by the early rains as we are switching into the rainy season.

Here is its profile from Wikipedia

Scientific	Classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Clade:	Pancrustacea
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Ponerinae
Tribe:	Ponerini
Genus:	Megaponera
Species:	analis	wikipedia)

A local cultural myth has it that if you are alone on the farm and all of a sudden you perceive the smell of this ant and after looking around you are sure you did not step on one. It is believed that a ghost did.

What do you think? Is it a valid reasoning? How do you call it in your local dialect?

I really did not have any liking for this ant, it looked like a small vulture, smelled badly and its sting was so painful. But I changed the way I viewed this ant when I got the full story why they are called the Termite Raider.

Ants that run recon missions, act on intelligence, and launch raids with a full squad — medics included. They evacuate their wounded comrades.

I am inviting @nspidos, @rubee2as1 @dequeen and @bossj23

Media Credit

Composer	@manuelhooks
Captured with	Galaxy-A15
Capture date	23/04/2026
Assisted by	Google Lens
Entry type	Entomology Profile
Posting Date	Friday. April 25.
	(@) 2026