Mark Moffett / Leafcutter Ant (Atta laevigata) worker cutting Papaya leaf

Chien Lee / Leafcutter Ant (Atta laevigata) group carrying leaves, Kavac, Venezuela

Chien Lee / Leafcutter Ant (Atta laevigata) group carrying leaves, Kavac, Venezuela

Chien Lee / Leafcutter Ant (Atta laevigata) group cutting lead, Kavac, Venezuela

Chien Lee / Leafcutter Ant (Atta laevigata) cutting leaf, Kavac, Venezuela

Mark Moffett / Leafcutter Ant (Atta laevigata) soldier bites photographer, carving through his skin in just the same way medium-sized workers bite leaves, near Sao Paulo, Brazil

Mark Moffett / Leafcutter Ant (Atta laevigata) ants identify each other with antenna strokes and stop to groom each other, Guadaloupe

Mark Moffett / Leafcutter Ant (Atta laevigata) pair from the same colony stop to groom each other, Guadaloupe

Mark Moffett / Leafcutter Ant (Atta laevigata) nest excavated by researchers, Batucatu, Brazil

Chien Lee / Leafcutter Ant (Atta laevigata) carrying leaf, Kavac, Venezuela