Novomessor cockerelli uses coordinated behavior to subdue large orthopteran prey. When a partially disabled grasshopper is encountered, the first worker finding it mounts the dorsum of the grasshopper and clamps its mandibles over the wings, thus preventing escape by flight. Workers which arrive subsequently systematically remove or subjugate additional appendages. Behavioral coordination allows N. cockerelli to efficiently exploit large orthopterna prey which would otherwise escape if workers attempted to capture these individually.