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It has been reported in the literature that Gigantiops often nests very close to bullet ants, Paraponera. I would guess this is a good strategy for avoiding being dug into by any of several species of ant-eating mammals in the region -- the obvious anteaters, but also armadillos.

Well, about 20 years ago, I was in Brazil, paid to work on fire ants, but rather often distracted by all the other ants around. I had been living in west-central Brazil for several months but still had not seen Gigantiops in my travels. This ant likes moist forests, and I was in an area of dry forests and savannas. One day, my assistant and I decided to go to a tract of forest in a creek valley that was taller and lusher than most in the area. It wasn't too long before I saw a Gigantiops worker in the leaf litter carrying a small cockroach in its mandibles. Figuring she would head home with this prey, I started to follow her. This had to be done from a little distance (about 1.5m), and I could only make slow movements, because these ants see quite well with those big eyes, and are wary of large moving forms.

She was about 11mm long, and ran right across the tops of leaves and twigs, so was easy to keep track of. A very cool thing was how, every time she reached the edge of a leaf or other object, instead of clambering down, she hopped like a jumping spider. You will note that this ant has saltatorial (jumping) hind legs, like a cricket. I followed her several meters until she disappeared under a leaf near the base of a tree. I crouched down to start removing leaves to see if I could find the nest entrance.

Then in my peripheral vision I noticed something climbing over my shoe -- not one, but three bullet ants! I stood up, stepped back, and brushed them off with a stick. There were other bullet ants coming out of an entrance at the base of the same tree near which the Gigantiops had disappeared. So, needless to say, I gave up the quest to find the nest of Gigantiops. It was the only nest of this species I ever knowingly got close to during my 8-month stay.

One thing I have wondered about ever since is, do these ants also use their jumping ability to pounce on prey?