Tropical Pachycondyla epitomize the ant as lone huntress. Even though these insects live in colonies, foragers locate and retrieve prey singly. This Pachycondyla cooki forager has caught an histerid beetle.
photo details
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 macro lens
Canon EOS 7D
ISO 200, f/16, 1/200 sec
diffused external strobe
Jatun Sacha, Ecuador
A personal blog by Illinois-based biologist and photographer Alex Wild.
The question is, “Now what?”! I’d be surprised if that ant could penetrate that beetle’s exoskeleton.
How big was this ant? And what’s the slimy red blob on the beetle?
Great shot.
Thanks for sharing.
I absolutely love ponerines. Beautiful shot Alex.