Inside the leafcutter nest, they're undercover: closely mimicking the ants' signature scent, they frolic and feed in the fungal gardens, mostly undetected.
At many of the other sites, ant numbers were much reduced, with areas that once sported dozens of nests over hundreds of hectares reduced to just one or two colonies covering much smaller tracts of land.
We all know from watching endless nature shows as children on TV that actually lions do cooperate when they go after antelope, and actually ants do defend the nest when it's invaded by a spider or something.