Nature
PUBLISHED
Last week, the Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition 2022 winners were announced. They included stunning photos of an embryonic Madagascar giant day gecko, and of the blood vessel networks in the guts of a mouse.
The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.But what really grabbed people's attention was a close-up image of an ant's face by Eugenijus Kavaliauskas, which was awarded an "image of distinction" prize by the competition. As impressive as the image is, it turns out that ants look a little bit terrifying when you get up close.
Part of the problem might be that the ant's antenna looks like eyes, where it joins the head. The actual eyes are further back on the insect's head, and they look far cuter when you see the overall face.
Nevertheless, the consensus seems to be that ants are a little bit terrifying up close, and thank the lord that they're teeny tiny.
Except, of course, among those who know the real truth:
