Ok so this is what all the ant studying has been for. I've been waiting weeks to finish this one so I could put it up here. So here it is, the honey pot ant. Fascinating things. they're basically living refridgerators in the ant hill. They start off as workers but mature and spend their lives on the ceilings of the colonies. Other workers bring them food which they process into sugary nectar and store it in their abdomens which can grow to the size of small grapes. During dryer seasons when there isnt as much food for the colony to function as normal, the honey pot ant will regurgitate the stored nectar and feed the hive with it. There are usually dozens of these guys per colony and they never ever leave the ceilings. Interesting to note that the abdomen of a honey ant makes a yummy snack. If I ever get out to australia I should try one myself. It would be nice to encounter an animal in australia that isnt deadly poisonous eh?
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