The southern part of the Rockies in Colorado is inhabited by honey-ants which have special workers that gorge themselves on nectar to the point of being distended into a species of spherical "bottles." Having almost lost the capacity to move around, they hang nearly motionless from the ceiling of the subterranean chambers in the nest. Their function is to regurgitate the honey "on call" when incited by the tapping of their hungry comrades' antennae.

Carnegie Museum of Natural History
Pittsburgh, PA

10.07.22