Nothomyrmecia

Those of you who haven't got an ad blocker installed have probably seen this ant floating about in a promotional banner in the ScienceBlogs sidebar: I can't speak for how others react to this image. Most, I imagine, filter it out as yet more clutter on the screen. But for a picture of an insect it's kind of personal for me, and rather odd it to see it splattered across the ScienceBlogs. Sort of like seeing photos of one's relatives in the news, or the family dog used to advertise pet food. To set the scene, let me explain that when I took this photo I was road-tripping across southern…

Given the hypothermia I endured to shoot this Nothomyrmecia, I am pleased whenever I can put the photographs to work.  Physical discomfort does pay off sometimes, although in hindsight it wasn't too bright of me to not have packed warm clothes for an ant that forages just above freezing.  Here's a screen capture of the original RAW file, in series: