A pair of Adetomyrma goblin dracula ants groom a larva. Madagascar; captive lab colony photographed at the California Academy of Sciences

Brachymyrmex patagonicus is a South American rover ant that is spreading rapidly across the southern and western United States. Here, workers feed from a honey bait. Tucson, Arizona, USA

Formica obscuripes nestmate workers engaging in trophallaxis, or the social sharing of liquid food. Wisconsin, USA

Nestmate transport in Camponotus nigriceps sugar ants. It is thought that ant colonies conserve energy by having one worker do the walking for two. Yandoit, Victoria, Australia.

Lioponera ruficornis

A tight column of black raider ants departs on an afternoon raid. Diamond Creek, Victoria, Australia

Lioponera ruficornis

A column of sleek Lioponera ruficornis. Notice that most of these ants carry small red mites on their bodies. Diamond Creek, Victoria, Australia

Alarm posture in a Crematogaster emeryana acrobat ant, gaster held high and sting extruded. Crematogaster ants do not actually use their stinger to sting; rather, the organ is instead employed as a brush to broadcast volatile chemical signals to nestmates and to smear defensive chemicals on attackers. Chiricahua Mountains, Arizona, USA

Ochetellus worker recruit to food. Ants in this subfamily often arrive in large numbers to resources, maintaining trails between their nest and persistent food source. Diamond Creek, Victoria, Australia

Major and minor workers of the turtle ant Cephalotes pusillus engage in trophallaxis food-sharing behavior. Carrancas, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Along an arboreal trail in South Africa, Crematogaster castanea tricolor nestmates exchange a bit of food. St. Lucia, KZN, South Africa

Sonoran desert cacti are frequently covered in ants. Cacti provide ants with nectar- a ready food supply in a harsh environment- in exchange for protection from herbivorous insects. Here, two Crematogaster opuntiae acrobat ants exchange nectar they have gathered from a chain-link cholla. Tucson, Arizona, USA

A subterranean trail of Dorylus helvolus. St. Lucia, KZN, South Africa

Eciton burchelli army ants can form living bridges with their bodies. Captive colony at the California Academy of Sciences

Eciton hamatum workers return from a successful raid bearing captured ant brood. Jatun Sacha reserve, Napo, Ecuador

Eciton burchelli army ants. These large, predaceous ants are ubiquitous in the rainforests of Central and South America. Captive colony at the California Academy of Sciences

Eciton burchellii workers returning from a raid. Maquipucuna reserve, Pichincha, Ecuador

Eciton hamatum Jatun Sacha reserve, Napo, Ecuador

A trail of Argentine ants, Linepithema humile. Davis, California, USA

Formica obscuripes nestmate workers engaging in trophallaxis, or the social sharing of liquid food. Wisconsin, USA

Monomorium dichroum

Panama City, Panama