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Jumping Ants
Jumping Ants
BR Hills, Karnataka, 31 May 2005
Camera :  NIKON D70
Shutter-speed :   1/640 sec
Aperture :   f 16
Exposure Mode :   Manual
ISO :  
Exposure Compensation :   -0.3 EV
Flash :   No Flash
Focal Length :   105 mm
This image reveals a worker jumping ant Harpegnathos saltator murdering the queen. The image was shot in Karnataka's BRT Wildlife Sanctuary in the Southern Western Ghats. The queen had just torn off her own wings after a successful mating and was scouring the forest floor in search for a suitable nest site. To minimise predation, the queens time their exodus from their natal nests only when they are absolutely ready to mate. Though this de-alated queen was 'murdered' a large number of her sisters successfully established nests, thus completing their life's mission - passing on the colony's genes.