We’ll probably do a series on Green Tree Ants at some point – they’re some of Australia’s most astonishing little arthropods. But for now I just wanted to share this photo of a team of them carrying a Darkling Beetle back to their nest. If you look closely, you’ll notice they’ve even recently decapitated the poor thing. Ants are truly incredible in their ability to work collectively in unfathomable numbers, and Green Tree Ants are no exception.

It’s unclear whether these ants took down the beetle or whether they’re just scavenging its remains, but either way, nature can be brutal sometimes!

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Green Tree Ants (Oecophylla smaragdina) with Darkling Beetle (Tenebrionidae), Kakadu National Park, Australia