Pogonomyrmex californicus

It's Venomous, it's Bearded, it's... the California Harvester Ant

P. californicus profile view. Retrieved from Wikimedia Commons.Welcome to Pogonomyrmex californicus country (or should we say desert?)! The scientific name above suggests that the organism is found in the state of California, but it can actually be found in other U.S. states as well as in Mexico (De Vita 1979; Navajo Nature 2010). If you ever travel to locations where the organism is present, be on the lookout and make sure not to get stung.

We hope that you will enjoy your journey as you discover other intriguing information about these venomous, bearded insects such as where they fit in the tree of life, what habitat they live in, how they are adapted to their environment, how they reproduce, their interactions with other species, and many other fun facts. A plethora of other organisms can be found on the Multiple Organisms website, which is hosted by the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

The header image displayed on each page was retrieved from Wikimedia Commons, an online repository of free-to-use images.

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