This image reveals a worker Jumping Ant – Harpegnathos saltator – murdering the queen. The queen had just torn off her own wings after a successful mating and was scouring the forest floor in search of a suitable nest site. 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.

This photo won Kalyan Varma the Sanctuary Asia Photographer of the Year award in 2005 and BBC’s Best of 2008 in BBC Wildlife Magazine.





Instagram
junglelodgesjlr