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Keepers of the Forest | Nat Geo Photo of the Day

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Red wood ants, a keystone species, work together to dismember a beetle for protein in Germany. They prey on insects and scavenge, playing a crucial role in their ecosystem.

While red wood ants prey on insects, including other ant species, they also scavenge for food. In this photo from Hessen, Germany, workers band together to dismember a blue ground beetle, a source of protein, with one ant using its sharp pair of jaws, called mandibles, to break apart an antenna. The red wood ant is the smallest known keystone species, which is an animal that holds the ecosystem together.

Keepers of the Forest

While red wood ants prey on insects, including other ant species, they also scavenge for food. In this photo from Hessen, Germany, workers band together to dismember a blue ground beetle, a source of protein, with one ant using its sharp pair of jaws, called mandibles, to break apart an antenna. The red wood ant is the smallest known keystone species, which is an animal that holds the ecosystem together.

Ingo Arndt, Nat Geo Image Collection

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