This gang of weaver ants climbed higher, hauling a feather that would perhaps be eaten as a valuable source of protein. Ripan spotted the ants’ destination overhead – a football-sized nest at the end of a branch – and noted the level of effort it would take for the insects to reach it. He approached cautiously and used a wide-angle lens to capture their endeavours.
A weaver ant colony may number half a million ants and can occupy multiple nests among the branches of a tree. It is ruled by a single, egg-laying queen ant. The workforce comprises smaller workers, who look after the colony’s brood, and slightly larger workers, who hunt for food and protect the nests, which are made using larvae silk.
India
Ripan has been inspired by nature since childhood, enthralled by everything from the life and death of a grasshopper and the flashing green hue of a bee-eater to the sound of crushing dry leaves on the forest floor. His work focuses on insect macro photography and his photos have been published in magazines, including Sanctuary Asia and BBC Wildlife Magazine. Ripan has also received many national and international awards in wildlife photography competitions.
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