Eduard Florin Niga specializes in the macrophotography of insects. He lives in London. Eleanor Spicer Rice is an entomologist and author of Dr. Eleanor's Book of Common Arts. She lives in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Nature's most successful insects captured in remarkable macrophotography

In Ants,photographer Eduard Florin Niga brings us incredibly close to the mostnumerous animals on Earth, whose ability to organize colonies,communicate among themselves, and solve complex problems has made theman object of endless fascination. Among the more than 30 speciesphotographed by Niga are leafcutters that grow fungus for food, trap-jawants with fearsome mandibles, bullet ants with potent stingers,warriors, drivers, gliders, harvesters, and the pavement ants that arealways underfoot. Among his most memorable images areportraits-including queens, workers, soldiers, and rarely seenmales-that bring the reader face-to-face with these creatures whosesocieties are eerily like our own. Science writer Eleanor Spicer Riceframes the book with a lively text that describes the life cycle of antsand explains how each species is adapted to its way of life. Antsis a great introduction to some of the Earth's most successfulcreatures that showcases the power of photography to reveal the unseenworld all around us.