A feeding frenzy in an Adetomyrma goblin colony. A paradox of ant biology is that adult ants cannot consume solid food, while the larvae can. Larvae are essential for colony nutrition, more than just future adults, digesting proteinaceous food and passing it on in liquid form to the adults. Most ant species have evolved a simple mechanism for the transfer of liquid food by regurgitation (trophallaxis), but a few truly ancient lineages of ants, including the Adetomyrma pictured here, predate trophallaxis. Instead, the adults chew holes in the larval skins and drink the hemolymph directly. Larvae are apparently unharmed by the procedure, although the practice has earned these insects the common name "dracula ants". Madagascar; captive lab colony photographed at the California Academy of Sciences

Predatory Stigmatomma oregonensis workers cluster about a centipede they have paralyzed. Quincy, California, USA

Stigmatomma oregonensis is a specialist predator of geophilomorph centipedes. Here, two workers attempt to sting the front end of a centipede while the back end pulls them across the substrate. Quincy, California, USA

Stigmatomma oregonensis is a specialist predator of geophilomorph centipedes. Here, a worker ant carries a centipede it has paralyzed back to her nest. Quincy, California, USA

Ouch! A dracula ant (Stigmatomma oregonensis) sinks her sting deep into the head capsule of a centipede. Quincy, California, USA

Eciton burchellii army ant workers pull a termite from a rotting log. Jatun Sacha reserve, Napo, Ecuador

A Plectroctena cristata forager poses with a millipede she has paralyzed. Kibale Forest, Uganda

A Plectroctena cristata forager poses with a millipede she has paralyzed. Kibale Forest, Uganda

Amblyopone australis dracula ants are subterranean predators. Here they are seen attacking a moth larva. Yandoit, Victoria, Australia

Amblyopone australis dracula ants are subterranean predators. Here they are seen attacking a moth larva. Yandoit, Victoria, Australia

Aphaenogaster mariae worker returning to the nest with a moth carcass. Urbana, Illinois, USA

Novomessor albisetosa

The mass emergence of termites at the start of monsoon season is a bonanza for ants. Here, a Novomessor albisetosa harvester ant adds another captured termite carcass to the food pile. Peña Blanca Lake, Arizona, USA

Novomessor albisetosa

The mass emergence of termites at the start of monsoon season is a bonanza for ants. Here Novomessor albisetosa harvester ants stand guard over their catch. Peña Blanca Lake, Arizona, USA

Camponotus pennsylvanicus

A pair of carpenter ants prey on another predator, the larva of a green lacewing. Gatlinburg, Tennessee, USA.

Dorymyrmex bicolor workers scavenge the carcass of a harvester ant. Willcox, Arizona, USA.

Azteca velox recruit to the carcass of an Ectatomma species. Ants are the great recyclers: few insects die in tropical forests that aren't scavenged immediately by ants. Isla Contadora, Panama

Eciton burchellii army ants cluster around a cricket they have caught. Captive colony at the California Academy of Sciences

Army ants such as these Eciton burchellii are important predators in many tropical ecosystems. Captive colony at the California Academy of Sciences

A fallen robber fly quickly attracts ants. In the heat of mid-day, a thermophilic Forelius is the only species that tolerates the hot sand. Archbold Biological Station, Florida, USA

A Formica moki worker transports a stink bug she has caught back to her nest. Solano County, California, USA

Odontomachus bauri with a young cricket it has caught. La Selva, Heredia, Costa Rica

Camponotus pennsylvanicus

An eastern black carpenter ant carries a caterpillar she has caught back to her nest. Gatlinburg, Tennessee, USA.

Hunting technique in Harpegnathos saltator jumping ants: snare the prey with tiny barbs on the long mandibles and reach around with the stinger to find a soft spot. Laboratory colony at Arizona State University, USA