A foundress trap-jaw ant queen with her first eggs and larvae nesting in a rock crevice in a Belizean rainforest. Armenia, Cayo District, Belize.
A Pheidole foundress queen with her first eggs. Maquipucuna reserve, Pichincha, Ecuador
Life is tough for young ant queens. This Podomyrma (large, red) has survived an assault by Polyrachis ants but is missing an antenna, part of a leg, and carries the attached carcass of one of her attackers around like a war trophy. Yarra Ranges National Park, Victoria, Australia.