Camponotus floridanus
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~80%
Camponotus floridanus, or Florida carpenter ant, is a species of ant in the genus Camponotus. First described as Formica floridana by Buckley in 1866, the species was moved to Camponotus by Mayr in 1886. The ant is widespread in Florida and occurs as far north as North Carolina and as far west as Mississippi.
Camponotus floridanus is one of the most familiar ant species in Florida owing both to its large size and conspicuous coloration. Workers and queens are bicolored, having a reddish-orange head and a bright to dullish orange colored mesosoma and legs, contrasted sharply by a deep black gaster. Male alates of this species are more concolorous, primarily ranging in the rusty to cider oranges. Camponotus floridanus can be distinguished from its visually similar, but smaller relative Camponotus tortuganus by its wider than long head, smaller but stockier legs relative to the body, and overall stouter build.
Queens on average vary 14–16 mm in length, and the highly polymorphic workers can potentially attain similar lengths, with the largest majors reaching 11–13 mm. Minors and mediae are typically around 4–9 mm. Florida carpenter ants' native range... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Florida Carpenter Ant sighting in Big Cypress National Preserve on a given day, based on 48 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 21st most-seen of the 262 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Florida Carpenter Ant in Big Cypress National Preserve on a given day, against under 5% in September and November, the lowest months. That is one of Big Cypress National Preserve's wettest months, with about 210 mm of rain against 40 mm in March.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Florida Carpenter Ant sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Florida Carpenter Ant sightings, Big Cypress National Preserve ranks 2nd at about 20%. The best odds are in Everglades National Park (United States, about 30%).
Same genus: Camponotus
The closest relatives of the Florida Carpenter Ant that you can see in Big Cypress National Preserve (genus Camponotus, Carpenter Ants, Typical Sugar Ants and Allies) are Compact Carpenter Ant (about 10%) and Six-Spotted Carpenter Ant (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Florida Carpenter Ant is recorded against all the insects logged in Big Cypress National Preserve (48 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
