A richly illustrated, captivating study of army ants, nature’s preeminent social hunters.

A swarm raid is one of nature’s great spectacles. In tropical rainforests around the world, army ants march in groups by the thousands to overwhelm large solitary invertebrates, along with nests of termites, wasps, and other ants. They kill and dismember their prey and carry it back to their nest, where their hungry brood devours it. They are the ultimate social hunters, demonstrating the most fascinating collective behavior.

In Army Ants we see how these insects play a crucial role in promoting and sustaining the biodiversity of tropical ecosystems. The ants help keep prey communities in check while also providing nutrition for other animals. Many species depend on army ants for survival, including a multitude of social parasites, swarm-following birds, and flies. And while their hunting behavior, and the rules that govern it, are clearly impressive, army ants display collective behavior in other ways that are no less dazzling. They build living nests, called bivouacs, using their bodies to protect the queen and larvae. The ants can even construct bridges over open space or obstacles by linking to one another using their feet. These incredible feats happen without central coordination. They are the result of local interactions—self-organization that benefits the society at large.

Through observations, stories, and stunning images, Daniel Kronauer brings these fascinating creatures to life. Army ants may be small, but their collective intelligence and impact on their environment are anything but.

"A phenomenal book on army ant biology that is chock-a-block with jaw-dropping, award-winning photography…This book will show you ants in ways you have never seen them before." - Inquisitive Biologist

"Kronauer, a master storyteller, unwraps the bivouac of the army ants to take us along the journey of their raiding swarms, the intricate bridges they construct, and the enigmatic arthropod fauna that live alongside these formidable hunters…Three decades ago, a monumental treatise and Pulitzer Prize winner, The Ants, inspired an entire generation of students to take up myrmecology. Army Ants is set to unfurl the next swarm of myrmecologists." - Myrmecological News Blog

"Kronauer not only brings us up to date on one of the all-time greatest hits of biological exuberance and adaptation, he does so in a spellbinding way that keeps us turning the pages." - Current Biology

"Beautifully produced, richly illustrated…Army ants are small-bodied denizens of the dark tropical forest understory; the rich macroimages [in] the book bring readers powerfully into their hidden realm…Readers will be enthralled by the bizarre and sometimes surprising caste of army ant intimates, including snakes, presented in stunning photographs." - Quarterly Review of Biology