@WTL
The interesting thing is this means her older sisters *decided* that she needed to be this big for some reason.

Colonies will produce different types of workers to meet varied conditions.

I suspect she is large so that she can store food. Camponotus pennsylvanicus are related to "honeypot ants" and the larger ants can hold a lot of food in their social stomach. She's like a living smoothie truck for her sisters.

@WTL

You may resent your family for deciding that you had to be a dentist... but at least they didn't decide that you had to be a:

* Living water bag
* Door
* Circle Cutting Compass
* Glue Gun
* fungal filament surgeon.
* Professional egg producer
* Professional kidnapper

@futurebird those soaps’ dialogs would be quite something

This is the largest Camponotus pennsylvanicus major I’ve ever seen maybe because this colony is so well fed and old, they’re producing some kind of extra large gigantic majors.

it’s hard to convey in a photo, but she is humongous. That’s not a queen that’s just the worker. #ants

@futurebird get a penny in the picture?

@glasspusher

I try not to give them cash, who knows what they will spend it on.

@futurebird oh, I forgot. Also it’ll make them targets for Pica to shake down

@wtrmt

"I never wanted to be the door! My head is always cold! No one ever asked me."
"but you have such a lovely door shaped head sweetie."

@futurebird @wtrmt my mom always said I made a better door than a window

@glasspusher @futurebird “she’s not your mother!”

[animated gif of a prairie dog turning to face the camera with a surprised look on its face, cue sound effect tan-Tan-TAAAN!]

This is the largest Camponotus pennsylvanicus major I’ve ever seen maybe because this colony is so well fed and old, they’re producing some kind of extra large gigantic majors.

it’s hard to convey in a photo, but she is humongous. That’s not a queen that’s just the worker. #ants

@futurebird There are parasites that have this effect. No evidence to back that up here..,,