Golden Honeypot AntCamponotus inflatus
Quick facts
- Rarity
- Uncommon
- Active during
- Night
- Found in
- Dusty Canyons
- Length
- 0.5 in
- Wingspan
- 0.6 in
From the field notes
Diet
Worker ants only gather food at night to avoid the desert sun. They collect flower nectar, plant sap, and sometimes honeydew, carrying the sweet liquids back underground to share with the rest of the colony.
Living Pantries
To survive long, harsh droughts where food is scarce certain specialized ants (called "repletes") act as living storage jars. They hold onto all the extra food the workers bring in, keeping the whole colony fed when times get tough.
The Replete I
Once fully swollen, the repletes become completely immobile, relying completely on their sisters to keep them clean and safe. Hundreds cling to the dirt ceilings of cool, cavernous chambers. If one accidentally falls, it is often too heavy to stand back up and risks bursting open.
The Replete II
When regular workers get hungry, they gently stroke a hanging replete's antennae. This physical password prompts the swollen ant to regurgitate a drop of nutrient-rich syrup.
Delicacies
Rival ant colonies attempt raids specifically to steal and drag away the repletes. Because they are packed with calories, predators like badgers and coyotes also seek them out.