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20th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
Working together

In Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Yunnan Province, there are several big trees near my hotel. The nest of Oecophylla smaragdina is built on the crown. They are ferocious and good at catching various insects. When the weather is good, the workers will divide into several groups to catch insects. One morning, I found that Oecophylla smaragdina was cooperating to subdue a green katydid and wanted to take it to the top of the tree. Each Oecophylla smaragdina kingdom will build its own castle. Although Oecophylla smaragdina Kingdom is hostile to other similar kingdoms and has no contact with other similar kingdoms, there is almost no war between their kingdoms. They usually fight only with animals of other races.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 09.2020
Date Uploaded: 11.2022
Photo Location: Xishuangbanna, China
Camera: NIKON D500
Copyright: © Yuan Minghui