Ted Kinsman is a scientific photographer that specializes in creating images for books, magazines, and television. His particular areas of interest are in x-ray radiography, high-speed photography, Scanning electron microscopy, and time-lapse cinematography. His work has appeared in numerous books and magazines ranging from Discover Magazine to Forbes. Recently his work has appeared on Gray's Anatomy and CSI New York. In addition to running 
B.N. (Bobbie) Sullivan has a strong affinity for the sea and everything in it. She first learned to dive in 1970 and has since logged thousands of dives. A wish to document the marine life she encountered prompted her to learn underwater photography more than 20 years ago. More recently, she began to write about the marine life she has photographed. A research psychologist by profession, she approaches her subject matter with the mindset of a scientist, but targets her writing to a general readership in whom she hopes to foster an appreciation for the ocean and its inhabitants.
B Jefferson Bolender is Training Coordinator of the State of Arizona's
program for disability awareness and assistive technology. Through
her travels she always has a camera at hand to photograph everything
from people to technology and nature. As a teacher of elementary
education, special education and art, her interests include a wide
array of subject matter with an emphasis on documentation with an
artist's eye.
Steve Jurvetson enjoys rocketry and photography and especially the pursuit of both in the Black Rock Desert. Some action photos and video links can be found 
Alex Wild is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he works on the molecular phylogenetics of various groups of insects. He is also a part-time photographer whose images appear in such venues as Ranger Rick, Smithsonian, BBC Wildlife, and even ScienceBlogs.
With 12,000 described species, ants dominate global terrestrial ecosystems. Here are a few of them.
Name: Nothomyrmecia macrops
Distribution: Australia
Famous for: The story of its rediscovery (As told by Bill Bryson- scroll down)
Name: Dinoponera australis
Distribution: South America
Famous for: being the largest ant in the western hemisphere
Name: Polyergus sp.
Distribution: North America
Famous for: piracy, taking of prisoners
Name: Dorylus helvolus
Distribution: Africa
Famous for: terrorizing subterranean arthropods, taking of no prisoners
Name: Pogonomyrmex maricopa
Distribution: North America
Famous for: the most venemous sting of any North American insect
Name: Thaumatomyrmex atrox
Distribution: South America
Famous for: beguiling rarity, and amazing teeth
Name: Pseudomyrmex pallidus
Distribution: North & Central America
Famous for: its slender good looks
Name: Cephalotes atratus
Distribution: Central & South America
Famous for: gliding
Name: Atta sp.
Distribution: North, Central & South America
Famous for: monopolizing nature documentaries
Name: Solenopsis invicta
Distribution: North & South America
Famous for: general mayhem and loss of life
Name: Myrmecia piliventris
Distribution: Australia
Famous for: endangering Australians
Name: Odontomachus sp.
Distribution: South America
Famous for: general awesomeness involving jaws
Name: Oecophylla longinoda
Distribution: Africa
Famous for: exotic textiles, child labor, and organized torture of enemy combatants
Name: Amblyopone oregonensis
Distribution: North America
Famous for: drinking their children's blood
Name: Solenopsis geminata
Distribution: worldwide
Famous for: having a big head for a reason
Name: Linepithema oblongum
Distribution: South America
Famous for: nothing, yet. But her sister is famous, so just you wait.
Life Science
Environment
Comments
I think the ant just became my new favorite creature. Nice Thaumatomyrmex atrox!
Posted by: Noah Gray | April 12, 2009 8:28 PM
Alex,
Really sweet photos. I'm going to have to spend more time with the social insect folks here at ASU.
Posted by: John Lynch | April 12, 2009 9:41 PM
Australian Bull ants: they say enough bites will kill you??
I slept out once, near Mildura, home of the biggest raisins.
I awoke to bull ants on my sleeping bag. They were not hostile.
I carefully and respectfully dressed and left, without dissing those ants. One ant could carry off one Mildura raisin.
Posted by: gbruno | April 12, 2009 10:04 PM
That is one kickass macro lens, man.
Posted by: Greg Laden | April 12, 2009 10:04 PM
There really ought to be a Top Ten Favourite Ants meme.
Well done Alex - these were beautiful and I loved the links.
Posted by: Ed Yong | April 12, 2009 10:23 PM
Stunning images and great links too! All these are with the MPE and your modified flash ?
Posted by: Eric | April 12, 2009 10:36 PM
Wonderful ant sampler! However, the wikipedia link you give for Polyergus includes the following extraordinarily bogus statement: "Polyergus males (raiders) will emerge from their nest (a mixed nest where Formica workers are already enslaved) and forage for a suitable raid target. If one is found, the male will return to the nest, rally the other Polyergus." It would be nice if someone could edit that article.
Posted by: Carol H | April 12, 2009 10:40 PM
Beautiful photos and I love your captions!
Posted by: jes3ica | April 12, 2009 11:35 PM
Amazing photos! What camera & lens is this ?
And more importantly, how did you manage to make them stand still while you took the snaps ?
Thanks.
Posted by: Pranav Peshwe | April 13, 2009 5:35 AM
That's one kick-bum photographer, man!
(Apologies to Greg Laden)
Posted by: Adrian Thysse, FCD | April 13, 2009 8:00 AM
They are terrifying and beautiful at the same time. Gorgeous images. Liked the captions best of all. What an interesting blog. I'll visit again.
Posted by: Milena | April 13, 2009 8:52 AM
Wonderful pictures, intriguing captions, interesting links - everything the reader wants!
A scale bar would be useful addition. I'd like to know the size of these guys and gals.
Posted by: Onkel Bob | April 13, 2009 4:08 PM
They're gorgeous! And the Odontomachus is striking a beautiful pose! I kept seeing them running around in Panama. It took me a few sightings to realize that I recognized the genus of ants that seemed to have little letter Ts for heads.
Posted by: Julie Stahlhut | April 13, 2009 10:01 PM
Has anyone ever done any work on studying the ant colony as a meta-organism? I am not a biologist, but I'm especially interested in work involving the ant colony's "mind" - the idea that the hive is more intelligent than the individual. If anyone knows about this, please let me know: farleygwazda@gmail.com.
Posted by: eff | April 14, 2009 1:17 AM
You took that photo at 3.00am in the morning and temperature around zero it was cold.
Posted by: Keith Holley | April 14, 2009 6:34 AM
Absolutely lovely ant portraits, Alex! I only aspire to this level of artistry (and focus!).
To Carol H.:
I am working on a taxonomic revision and behavior/ecology review of Polyergus, and once edited the material on the genus at Wikipedia. Some angry fellow then edited it back and made editors's comments along the lines that I was a know-it-all, discrediting the work of knowledgeable amateurs, blah, blah, blah. I welcome someone else to make the effort. If you want to change the link, Alex, you could use my discussion of a common Mississsippi Valley species at http://www.antweb.org/description.do?rank=species&name=cf.%20umbratus&genus=polyergus&project=missouriants.
Posted by: James C. Trager | April 14, 2009 3:34 PM
"eff". this might be what you're looking for, or atleast a start to what you're looking for. http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2007/07/swarms/miller-text
if you're very interested you might want to look up a man named Edward Wilson. pretty much the 'guru' of social insects.
Posted by: paul o'sullivan | April 14, 2009 3:59 PM
Thanks James, I've changed the Polyergus link.
Posted by: Alex | April 14, 2009 4:19 PM
So many amazing ants and all we have is boring Lasius Niger...
Posted by: Martijn | April 16, 2009 1:55 PM
Permission in retrospect Alex?
http://protectingourplanet.blogspot.com/2009/04/ants-analogies-2.html
Posted by: Arjay | April 18, 2009 11:41 AM
Thinking about childhood experience with insects: Most of them were creepy untouchables (Eww! Get it off me!). Only three seemed friendly and harmless - june bugs, cicadas ... and ants.
Posted by: Hank Fox | April 25, 2009 11:07 AM
Alex, absolutely incredible work, these pics, your pics of mosquito larvae, and others! Beautiful beautiful stuff... and I love your captions and stories as well.
When I was a kid about all I had was Jean Henri Fabre to fly with but that was enough to inspire a lifelong fascination with insects. If I'd had your photos who knows where I would have ended up? LOL!
Many thanks!
:)
Michael
Posted by: Michael J. McFadden | May 5, 2009 4:56 PM
this is sheer quality photographic art. beyond its natural history/educating purposes. Well done & thank you!
Manos
Posted by: manos | August 26, 2009 6:02 PM
this is sheer quality photographic art. beyond its natural history/educating purposes. Well done & thank you!
Posted by: hisse senedi | August 7, 2010 2:57 PM