Image: Best of Eureka - Atta Cephalotes Worker in its Nest

Leaf-cutter ants cut fragments of leaves from trees and transport them to their nests. This leaf-cutter ant, an atta cephalotes worker, is among those responsible for processing the leaves into mulch, which is then fed to a fungus that grows food for the next generation of ants. This remarkable symbiosis is the basis for one of the most sophisticated societies on the planet.

Photographer:

Andrew Bruce

Rights:

© Andrew Bruce

Last Updated: 10 January 2012