ED
Hakiri Ali (Date of photograph unknown)
Leaf cutter ants. View of a leaf cutter ant (Atta sp.) carrying a cut piece of leaf back to its nest. Several smaller workers are seen on the leaf piece, protecting the larger ant from parasites. These ants, which are found in tropical and sub- tropical America, build large underground nests. They gather leaf material and chew it up, forming a nutrient medium in the nest upon which grows a particular species of fungus. The ants harvest this fungus as food for themselves and their brood. A single colony can contain over a million workers. The area covered in the hunt for leaves is enormous, and ants may travel over 100 metres from the nest. Photographed in Costa Rica.
Details
ID
10777014
Collection
License type
Editorial
Photographer
Creation date
14-12-2010
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