2014 $1 AlBr Colour Printed Coin - Bright Bugs: Red Bull Ant

The Bright Bugs series continues with the reckless and ruthless Red Bull Ant. This new coin is ideal for people who appreciate the hidden beauty that dwells in our natural world. Kids, nature lovers and those who love something “a little bit different” will find it fun, educational and enlightening… in more ways than one.

HISTORY AND SIGNIFICANCE

Wanted: Red Bull Ant, alias ‘giant bulldog ant’, alias ‘Hoppy Joe’. Last seen in its natural habitat of south-east Queensland and New South Wales. Believed to be dwelling in elaborate underground nests with two or three guard ants serving as loyal bouncers. This ant is alleged to be the ringleader of a ruthless food network: extracting liquids from bees and other ants, and feeding the leftovers to its larvae. Witnesses report that the worker ants’ own infertile eggs have also supplemented this diet.

Be on the lookout for its bright yellow mandibles and reddish-brown head and thorax. If seen, the Red Bull Ant should be considered venomous; one sting from its tail can result in three days of pain and swelling. For those too wise to try to capture one alive, capture one in coin form as part of the Royal Australian Mint’s Bright Bugs series.

FEATURES AND DESIGN
• Uncirculated coin with colour printing
• Sixth coin in a popular six-coin series
• Packaged on a card featuring colour pictures and factoids of the Red Bull Ant
• Coin’s reverse features an intricate colour-printed picture of the ant against a background of its intricate nest system
• Obverse features Queen Elizabeth II effigy sculpted by Ian Rank-Broadley