Wikipedia:Featured picture candidates/File:Ants eating cicada, jjron 22.11.2009.jpg

Meat-eater ants feeding on a cicada

Original - Meat-eater ants (Iridomyrmex purpureus) working cooperatively to devour a cicada (possibly Psaltoda moerens however damage to the victim makes a definite identification difficult to confirm). The cicada is approximately 60-70mm long, the ants are approximately 15mm long.

Reason

A little gross perhaps, but good EV and good quality. DOF is shallowish, but about as good as possible for a single shot macro. The main focus is well placed, showing the ants feeding around the head in a variety of positions, especially the one on top munching into the empty eye-socket.

Articles in which this image appears

Meat ant, Ant, Predation

Creator

jjron

• Support as nominator --jjron (talk) 12:45, 3 January 2010 (UTC)
• Support It is kind of creepy, but gives an excellent, high-quality view of the meat-eater ants' activity.--Twilight Helryx 21:14, 4 January 2010 (UTC)
• Support per nom. NotFromUtrecht (talk) 09:17, 6 January 2010 (UTC)
• Support per above. Wonder if they'd share their meal with me if I said pretty please :) Sir Wolf (talk) 18:35, 6 January 2010 (UTC)
• Support per nom. Time3000 (talk) 11:16, 7 January 2010 (UTC)
• Support Nice macro image. It is a bit gross yet it shows the natural wildlife up close. Love it. Kangxi Emperor 康熙帝 (talk) 04:35, 9 January 2010 (UTC)
• Support per Kangxi emperor6868, on all points. --IP69.226.103.13 | Talk about me. 05:49, 9 January 2010 (UTC)
• Weak support - Shallow DOF, but very good focus and detail. - ☩Damërung ☩. -- 04:49, 11 January 2010 (UTC)

Promoted File:Ants eating cicada, jjron 22.11.2009.jpg —Maedin\^talk 07:37, 12 January 2010 (UTC)