What is your favorite species, and why?

"Tough question. I'm going to have to go with Colobopsis mississippiensis. I love how mysteriously ambiguous the minors look—without experience identifying ants, they could be easily mistaken for Formica, Camponotus, Dolichoderus, or even Crematogaster. Because they can be so hard to find, they're also super fun to photograph—you could spend a whole morning looking for them without seeing a single worker, but when one finally appears, it makes it all worth it."

Any runner-ups?

"Probably Monomorium minimum—they're so little. I've always wondered what it would be like to keep a gigantic, maybe three or four thousand worker M. minimum colony."

What is your favorite species, and why?

"My favorite species is Pheidole tysoni. I love how the beautiful golden orange ants glow in the sunlight. I am also drawn to Pheidole because they are very are easy to care for and have relatively fast growing colonies."

Any runner-ups?

My second favorite species is Camponotus subbarbatus. These are by far some of the strangest but also most beautiful species we have collected.

What is your favorite species, and why?

Black Carpenter Ants, Camponotus pennsylvanicus, will always be a favorite species of mine, because it is one of the first species I ever learned about. Being one of the largest species, they are some of the easiest ants to observe and therefore learn about. C. pennsylvanicus is a species that is elemental to my education of the ant world.

Any runner-ups?

Although I have never come across them in person, Atta texana, the Texas Leafcutter Ant, is also one of my favorite species. Having evolved as cultivators of special kinds of fungus over millions of years, leafcutter ants are some of the only known organisms (aside from humans) that farm and harvest their own food.

What is your favorite species, and why?

"Woof, woof woof Woof woof."

Any runner-ups?

"Woof."