These are honeypot ants, specialized members of certain ant species that store food within their own bodies for the colony.
After consuming food, these ants convert it into a syrup stored in their abdomen, causing severe swelling, resembling a honey pot.
Honey pot ants are housed in a specific chamber where they require minimal effort. Worker ants within the colony feed and care for these ants, collecting sugary liquids and other nutrients specifically to feed them, facilitating their growth.
Once fully grown, honey pot ants remain immobile, expending minimal energy.
When food becomes scarce, workers gently tap the bodies of honey pot ants, triggering them to regurgitate stored syrup. This syrup is then consumed by the workers and distributed among other members of the colony.
The honeypot ant is found in arid regions of North and South America, Australia, and Africa, where food sources are highly unpredictable. Thus, this peculiar method of food storage is considered a strategy to cope with such unstable environments. In nature, only highly specialized organisms like ants are estimated to be capable of achieving this, willingly sacrificing themselves for the greater good.
However, this survival strategy also brings some troubles, as many other animals, including humans, have their eyes on honeypot ants.
The most common among them are other ants, which invade the nests of honeypot ants to seize those energy-storing honeypots.
