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Ants: Workers of the World
Nature’s most successful insects captured in remarkable macrophotography
In Ants , photographer Eduard Florin Niga brings us incredibly close to the most numerous animals on Earth, whose ability to organize colonies, communicate among themselves, and solve complex problems has made them an object of endless fascination. Among the more than 30 species photographed by Niga are leafcutters that grow fungus for food, trap-jaw ants with fearsome mandibles, bullet ants with potent stingers, warriors, drivers, gliders, harvesters, and the pavement ants that are always underfoot. Among his most memorable images are portraits—including queens, workers, soldiers, and rarely seen males—that bring the reader face-to-face with these creatures whose societies are eerily like our own. Science writer Eleanor Spicer Rice frames the book with a lively text that describes the life cycle of ants and explains how each species is adapted to its way of life. Ants is a great introduction to some of the Earth’s most successful creatures that showcases the power of photography to reveal the unseen world all around us.
In Ants , photographer Eduard Florin Niga brings us incredibly close to the most numerous animals on Earth, whose ability to organize colonies, communicate among themselves, and solve complex problems has made them an object of endless fascination. Among the more than 30 species photographed by Niga are leafcutters that grow fungus for food, trap-jaw ants with fearsome mandibles, bullet ants with potent stingers, warriors, drivers, gliders, harvesters, and the pavement ants that are always underfoot. Among his most memorable images are portraits—including queens, workers, soldiers, and rarely seen males—that bring the reader face-to-face with these creatures whose societies are eerily like our own. Science writer Eleanor Spicer Rice frames the book with a lively text that describes the life cycle of ants and explains how each species is adapted to its way of life. Ants is a great introduction to some of the Earth’s most successful creatures that showcases the power of photography to reveal the unseen world all around us.
144 pages, Hardcover
Published May 18, 2021
13 people are currently reading
88 people want to read
About the author
Eleanor Spicer Rice
17 books15 followersEleanor Spicer Rice is an award-winning author with a Ph.D. in entomology. She studied ants and how they shape the natural world. After publishing six books on ants, she now writes books for children about the amazing life with which we spend our days.
Eleanor is also the senior science editor at Verdant Word, a science communication company she co-founded with Robin Sutton Anders.
Eleanor is also the senior science editor at Verdant Word, a science communication company she co-founded with Robin Sutton Anders.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
June 8, 2024
I need to be better about looking at the physical measurements of books I buy online - I wasn't expecting this one to be so large, almost 12 inches tall and 11.5 inches long (although not particularly thick, at only 144 pages). This isn't really a complaint - the book's ant photographs are a huge part of its appeal, and I appreciate that they're all big and glossy. I was just taken aback by the size of the box on my porch.
I'm nowhere near an expert in ants, although I've read a couple books about them and was really interested in them for a period of time when I was younger. Information-wise, there's only enough here to whet a person's appetite. That said, it's still intriguing stuff, I learned a few things, and the author's appreciation for and fascination with ants was palpable.
There's a chapter on the relationship between plants and ants, a chapter on ant life cycles, a chapter on queens and female workers, and a chapter how form meets function in ant bodies. Each chapter includes full-page macrophotography of various species and genders of ants that illustrates information provided in the text.
My favorite chapters were probably the final two. The photographs of ant males were gorgeous and fascinating, especially since they were paired with photographs of workers or queens. Being able to directly compare the two really drove home how different ant males can look from females.
The final chapter, "Where Form Meets Function," was the longest and included quite a few close-up shots of the heads and abdomens of various ant species. I particularly liked the close-up of the head of a Cataulacus granulatus worker's head. Considering how good the photographs in that section were, I wish there had been even more text about the specific ant species pictured.
All in all, this is a beautiful book, even if it's a bit lighter on information than I'd have preferred.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
I'm nowhere near an expert in ants, although I've read a couple books about them and was really interested in them for a period of time when I was younger. Information-wise, there's only enough here to whet a person's appetite. That said, it's still intriguing stuff, I learned a few things, and the author's appreciation for and fascination with ants was palpable.
There's a chapter on the relationship between plants and ants, a chapter on ant life cycles, a chapter on queens and female workers, and a chapter how form meets function in ant bodies. Each chapter includes full-page macrophotography of various species and genders of ants that illustrates information provided in the text.
My favorite chapters were probably the final two. The photographs of ant males were gorgeous and fascinating, especially since they were paired with photographs of workers or queens. Being able to directly compare the two really drove home how different ant males can look from females.
The final chapter, "Where Form Meets Function," was the longest and included quite a few close-up shots of the heads and abdomens of various ant species. I particularly liked the close-up of the head of a Cataulacus granulatus worker's head. Considering how good the photographs in that section were, I wish there had been even more text about the specific ant species pictured.
All in all, this is a beautiful book, even if it's a bit lighter on information than I'd have preferred.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
September 29, 2021
This coffee table book had breathtaking photography and super informative ant facts. 🐜 This was such a pleasant read!
August 8, 2022
Ants are so fucking cool. And surprisingly cute
January 22, 2022
Wow, what a beautiful book. I had no idea that it was possible to take such detailed pictures of such tiny creatures! Definitely a coffee-table book, so lacking a bit in text content, but it still has some interesting bits of info on ants. Beautiful.
October 8, 2022
Spectacular book of macrophotos of a range of ants. There could have been more text but what there is is interesting. The photographs it describes are astounding and show ants different stages in detail that most of us have never been able to see.
June 24, 2021
What absolutely amazing photography. I'll never think of ants the same again. Somewhat terrifying, brilliant images.
October 15, 2022
Gorgeous coffee table book with classic Eleanor Spicer Rice prose. Beautifully written and fabulous photography. I've savored this book several times.
December 24, 2022
Fantastic closeup photos of a wide variety of ants - really glorious closeup. Short discussions of the various ant species depicted.
March 7, 2023
Fantastic macro- photography.
Fascinating insights into the world of ants.
Fascinating insights into the world of ants.
November 7, 2023
Packed full of beautiful, enlarged photographs, which may give me nightmares…
January 21, 2026
i’m a huge fan of dr eleanor spicer rice and absolutely loved this book
ants forever!!!!
ants forever!!!!
May 10, 2023
Definitely a book worth picking up! Some of the best pictures of ants you will ever see
January 13, 2024
This is primarily a picture book containing macro photographs of Ants along with descriptive text. By itself, you would learn only a little about Ants...it makes a great complement to an EO Wilson book or the recent Planet of the Ants by Foitzik. The photos are very, very good--high quality and illustrative of the accompanying text showing some of the variety and unexpected facts about Ants.
I will say I've never been creeped out by Ants (or much else in the insect realm), but after looking at these pictures for several hours, I find Ants much more disturbing than I did before reading this book. Nonetheless, an amazing work of science and art.
I will say I've never been creeped out by Ants (or much else in the insect realm), but after looking at these pictures for several hours, I find Ants much more disturbing than I did before reading this book. Nonetheless, an amazing work of science and art.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews