Argentine ants that escaped from native South America were small populations that are therefore generically identical, and don't fight with other neighboring colonies but instead form huge supercolonies.
- Southern Europe Supercolony: The largest recorded contiguous supercolony spans approximately 6,000 kilometers (3,700 miles) along the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts, running from northern Italy through the south of France to Spain. It contains billions of worker ants and millions of individual, cooperating nests. [1, 2, 3]
- Melbourne, Australia Supercolony: Another major supercolony discovered there measured roughly 100 kilometers (62 miles) across and later spread thousands of kilometers via jump-dispersal to other parts of Australia. [1, 2]
- Intercontinental Network: Genetic and behavioral studies suggest that some introduced Argentine ant supercolonies across the globe share a unified chemical identity, functioning as a massive intercontinental network. In their native South American habitats, however, colonies are much smaller and kept in check (typically 10 to 100 meters) by territorial rivals. [1, 2, 3, 4]
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