Unbelievable encounter today—I witnessed two giant katydids mating near a massive leaf cutter ant nest. The amorous pair fled to the safety of a tree where I shot this photo of them.
These two, and the third of the same general appearance (who I assume was the lookout) were highly camouflaged and had large spines on their hind legs.
This all occurred while we were digging out the leaf cutter ant nest in search of their fungus garden. These highly complex social insects spend all day collecting foliage, which they use to feed not the ants, but their fungus garden, which in turn is the ants’ only source of food.
In order to cut up the foliage into ant sized pieces the animals have large, sharp mandibles for slicing. But it’s not just leaves that they slice with these formidable jaws, but also young biologists! After being nibbled on by a minor worker (these insects have a caste system based on body and specifically head size—the minors are the smallest of these castes) I thought these ants were chumps. Then the major workers had a much easier time cutting through callouses on my hands. The soldiers however (pictured here), were truly tough, drawing blood from my fingers with their bites. Luckily no stings, however, so the pain was manageable.
