Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Leaf-cutter ants


Spent some time studying and photographing these leaf-cutter ants. They cut and carry the leaf pieces back to the nest as fodder for the fungi that then feed the young. I was intrigued by the presence on many of the leaf fragments of 'passenger' ants - always smaller than the ant carrying the leaf.
Update from Web
This is a known behaviour - the smaller ants climb on to guard the larger ant carrying the leaf












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Ann Miles Photography - My Favourite Images of the Past10 years or so