Weekly Photo Challenge: Beneath Your Feet

Mei-Mei

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From La Selva Ecolodge, Ecuador.

I had to get in close to see these leafcutter ants carrying their plunder across the forest trail back to their nest.  There were plenty of gross/scary bugs in the rainforest, but these guys were actually really cool to see.  They chew off pieces of leaves, but they don’t actually eat them; they carry them back to their nest where they chew them up and use them as nutritional substrate for a fungus that they cultivate.  It’s basically ant agriculture!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Beneath Your Feet

4 thoughts on “Weekly Photo Challenge: Beneath Your Feet”

  1. honestme363 August 10, 2015 / 2:15 pm

    Nice commentary! It definitely added to the picture!

    Like

    Reply
    • Mei-Mei August 10, 2015 / 2:32 pm

      Thanks, I’m glad to hear it. The picture itself is not great, so I thought it would be more interesting if people knew what was actually going on with the ants 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      • honestme363 August 10, 2015 / 9:28 pm

        I like the picture ☺ the commentary gave me the visualization of them in action ☺

        Liked by 1 person

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