Honeypot Ant
The Honeypot is a very unusual and quite interesting insect at first sight. Living in areas ranging from extremely hot deserts to thick woodlands, Honeypot ants are mainly found deep underground away from a variety of hungry predators. This species of ants has specialized workers which are gorged with food by other worker ants, so much so that their abdomens become enlarged to the size f grapes. This method is used for the storage of honey as well as many other resources including body fat and water. When food is scarce, these ants are utilized as a primary food source for their fellow ants and no this is not by means of cannibalism. When the liquid stored inside of a honeypot ant is needed, the worker ants stroke the antennae of the ant, signaling the honeypot to then regurgitate the stored liquid. Another interesting fact about these creatures is that they are known to change colors, the most common being red, blue, yellow, green and orange.
These ants are so valuable during times in which food is scarce that ants from other colonies will attempt to steal the fattened ants aware of their high nutritional value and water content. While these peculiar looking insects may be an essential food source for their fellow colony members, Honeypot ants are also seen as a delicacy in many regions including many Aboriginal tribes located in Australia which see them as delectable sweets or candy. I plan to, at some point in my life, try one of these tasty insects :)
