A series of striking photographs captured a colony of thirsty ants sipping on water droplets in a Russian forest.
Irina Kozorog, 43, spent a month visiting the same spot every day to watch the ants quench their thirst and demonstrate their incredible strength.
The ant enthusiast from Moscow, Russia, captured the incredible insects sipping from the liquid spheres while bathed in golden light using a macro camera lens.
Irina described how her interest in photography began ten years ago, when her husband gave her a camera for her birthday.
‘Ants are absolutely incredible creatures with very clear responsibilities,’ she said.
They understand how to preserve food and can do so for much longer than humans.
‘The drops of liquid they appear to be holding in the photographs are typically a cocktail of apple juice, honey, and water.
‘Every day, I went to the same spot to photograph the ants. I made certain that the water drops, ants, background, and lighting all worked together.
‘My macro camera lens is fantastic. It allows you to examine every part of an ant by seeing and shooting the smallest details, such as the mandibles.’
One magical image depicts the silhouettes of two ants sipping from a pool of water against a golden backdrop.
Meanwhile another close-up snap captures an ant sipping from a water droplet that has collected on a tiny shoot.
Irina also photographed one agile ant stretching down from a ledge into a green pond of water to quench its thirst.
Speaking about her passion for photography, Irina said: ‘My husband gave me a camera for my birthday. I looked around and saw ants on a stump and just decided to start taking pictures of them.
‘I dove headfirst into the world of ants. At first, I just wanted to capture a beautiful image of the ants.
‘However, after watching them for hours and days, I learned more and more about them and became completely immersed in their lives.
‘A lot of it was strange and incomprehensible – I read a lot about them, discussed them on forums, and studied both photography and ants.’ All I wanted to do at first was photograph the ants.
Tiny but strong
- The ant is one of the world’s strongest creatures relative to its size. It can carry up to 50 times its own weight – like a five-year- old carrying a Mini
- Ants are found on every continent except Antarctica – there are estimated to be a million for every human
- They don’t have ears but ‘listen’ by feeling vibrations through their feet
- They have two stomachs – one for their own food and one for food to be shared with other ants
- When ants fight, it is usually to the death
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