View allAll Photos Tagged termite
Purnululu National Park UNESCO World Heritage Site
Bungle Bungle Ranges
Kimberley Western Australia
Termites build their nests high up on the side of the cone Karsts to escape flash floods
Ryan spotted what we could only presume to be a termite mound. Mind you, with the general Fallout-ish feel of the place we wouldn't have been terribly surprised if a giant worker ant had crawled out.
Photographing stars you usually need a compass - but not in the Litchfield National Park in the Northern Territory in Australia. Some termites here somehow managed to use the magnetic field of our earth to build this unique kind of mounds, which are alligned from north to south. They look like flat tombstones, but their secret is that the sun warms up the eastern side first after cold nights, while the midday sun only reaches a small part of it directly - so it never gets too hot inside.
Kenya. Baringo county.
BARINGO LAKE and the POKOT PEOPLE VIDEO
Morning guided hike with Augustine. (local guide, living in the village next to Soi Safari lodge
Had hoped to add a few photos and or anecdotes regularly but as is to be expected in Africa, things are never quite reality before they have happened. One of the very few things that appeared to actually work in DRC is the cellphone system so I had hoped to have regular internet access with my "dongle". Unfortunately the cellphone system has decided to behave like everything else and has been mostly non functional. It is back now but could be gone again any minute so better make use of it.
Apparently the Chinese influence in Africa has become so prominent that even termites in the forests of DR Congo have started building pagodas.
Magnetic termites are so called because their termite hills all face magnetic north. They are really thin and ensure that the maximum surface area is in shade. Inside the termite hill is a constant temperature. Isn't nature wonderful?
Hunting for something this morning, I found a stick in my jacket pocket. I was about to put it on my shelf with other odd bits of nature when I saw something moving!
I guessed termite - hunted up a magnifying glass and my camera -- peered, took photos. Found insect book -- termite still a maybe. This wasn't a happy critter and I kept wanting to release it - but the urge to get in close prevailed. Oh, dear. Poor bug. I put the container with the stick in a bigger container and poked holes. Then forgot it for a while. It was in severe distress when I came back (not enough air?) When I let in air, two more family members appeared. Also apparently relieved to get some air! Now the urge to sketch took over my humane impulses as well - you see the results here - not clearly a termite yet - but still likely. My $3 magnifying glass is not the best tool for this job.
Size: 3 mm long.
Released into wooded area between apartment complexes. I imagined them happy, exploring their new territory.
More research makes termite, worker caste, very likely. Also found this:
"TERMITES as bioreactors: The U.S. Department of Energy is researching ways to replace fossil fuels with renewable sources of cleaner energy, and termites are considered a possible way to reach this goal through metagenomics.[11]
Termites may produce up to two litres of hydrogen from digesting a single sheet of paper, making them one of the planet’s most efficient bioreactors.[12] Termites achieve this high degree of efficiency by exploiting the metabolic capabilities of about 200 different species of microbes that inhabit their hindguts.
Sorry - can't seem to get this in a format that'll allow clicking on the link.
Ryan spotted what we could only presume to be a termite mound. Mind you, with the general Fallout-ish feel of the place we wouldn't have been terribly surprised if a giant worker ant had crawled out.
Ryan spotted what we could only presume to be a termite mound. Mind you, with the general Fallout-ish feel of the place we wouldn't have been terribly surprised if a giant worker ant had crawled out.
On losing their wings, termites find mates on the ground. Successful pairs burrow into good parts of the soil to raise a new generation of termites.
They may not have a very good chance in this location. Frequent contact with humans makes them vulnerable. Mission accomplished all the same.
Another termite pic. You see eggs in this one too besides soldiers, workers and nymphs of various stages.
Up Close with Nature: orionmystery.blogspot.com/
This mud tube is evidence of termites in a house. The pest inspector found several termite mud tubes in the basement of this house during the wood-destroying pest inspection.
Bicolored Mound-dwelling Tiger Beetle - Cheilonycha auripennis
This species is associated with the termite mounds in this area.
The Banded Mongoose (Mungos mungo) is a mongoose commonly found in the central and eastern parts of Africa.The banded mongoose is a sturdy mongoose with a large head, small ears, short, muscular limbs and a long tail, almost as long as the rest of the body. Animals of wetter areas are larger and darker colored than animals of dryer regions. The abdominal part of the body is higher and rounder than the breast area. The rough fur is grayish brown, and there are several dark brown to black horizontal bars across the back. The limbs and snout are darker, while the underparts are lighter than the rest of the body. Banded mongooses have long strong claws that allow them to dig in the soil.An adult animal can reach a length of 30 to 45 cm and a weight of 1.5 to 2.25 kg. The tail is 15 to 30 cm long.The banded mongoose lives in open savannas, open forests and grassland, especially near water, but also in dry, thorny bushland. The species is common in areas with many termite mounds, that serve as housing and food (see below). The banded mongoose is found in a large part of East, Southeast and South-Central Africa. There are also populations in the northern savannas of West Africa.The development of agriculture in the continent has had a positive influence on the number of banded mongooses. The crops of the farmland serve as an extra food source.Banded Mongoose Mungos mungoBanded mongooses live in mixed-sex groups of 7-40 individuals (average around 20). Groups sleep together at night in underground dens, often abandoned termite mounds, and change den frequently (every 2-3 days). The species is unusual among cooperative vertebrates because most females reproduce in each breeding attempt.[2] All adult females in a group enter oestrus around 10 days after giving birth, and are guarded and mated by 1-3 dominant males. Gestation is 60-70 days. Around 70% of adult females in the group carry to term, and give birth together in an underground den. In most breeding attempts, all females give birth on exactly the same day.. Each female gives birth to 2-5 pups, average litter size is 4. Pups are kept underground for the first four weeks of life, during which time they are guarded at the den by 1-3 babysitters while the rest of the group goes off to forage.After 4 weeks the pups join the group on foraging trips. Each pup is cared for by a single adult "escort" who helps the pup to find food and protects it from danger. Pups become nutritionally independent at 3 months of age.When no refuge is available and hard-pressed by predators such as Wild Dogs, the group will form a compact arrangement in which they lie on each other with heads facing outwards and upwards.Adult females are forcibly evicted from the group when their numbers grow large. Females are evicted by older females and sometimes males. When these dispersing females encounter neighbouring groups they may be joined by groups of subordinate males to start a new group. Relations between groups are highly aggressive and mongooses are sometimes killed and injured during intergroup encounters. Nevertheless, breeding females will often mate with males from a rival group in the midst of a fight. In some locations (e.g., Kenya) banded mongooses have been found in close relationship with baboons.[citation needed] They forage together and probably enjoy greater security as a large group because of more eyes on the lookout for predators. The mongooses are handled by baboons of all ages and show no fear of such contact.Banded mongooses have been observed removing ticks and other parasites from warthogs in Kenya[8] and Uganda.The mongooses get food, while the warthogs get cleaned.Lake Manyara, TanzaniaThe diet of the banded mongoose consists mainly of invertebrates, including insects (termites and larvae of beetles), centipedes, lizards, snakes, frogs and sometimes mice. They dig up most of the food with their strong claws. Sometimes they also eat roots and fruit. One of their favorite snacks is a bird's egg.Banded mongooses search for food in small, loose groups. To stay in contact, they use a wide variety of sounds.
La mangusta striata o zebrata (Mungos mungo) è una mangusta che si trova comunemente nelle regioni centrali e orientali dell'Africa.La mangusta striata è una robusta mangusta con grossa testa, piccole orecchie, arti corti e muscolosi e una lunga coda, lunga quasi quanto il resto del corpo. Gli animali delle regioni umide sono più grandi e più scuri degli animali delle regioni aride. La regione addominale è più alta e arrotondata della regione toracica. Il pelo ruvido è bruno grigiastro e sono presenti alcune strisce verticali marroni e nere sul dorso. Gli arti e il muso sono più scuri, mentre le parti inferiori sono più chiare del resto del corpo. Le manguste striate hanno artigli molto robusti, utili nello scavare il terreno.Un animale adulto può raggiungere una lunghezza di 30-45 cm e un peso di 1,5-2,25 kg. La coda è lunga 15-30 cm.La mangusta striata vive nelle savane aperte, nelle foreste aperte e nelle praterie, specialmente nei pressi dell'acqua, ma anche nelle boscaglie aride e spinose. La specie è comune nelle regioni con molti termitai, utili come rifugio e comune fonte di cibo .La mangusta striata si trova in una grande area dell'Africa orientale, sudorientale e centromeridionale. Sono presenti anche popolazioni nelle savane settentrionali dell'Africa occidentale.Lo sviluppo dell'agricoltura nel continente ha avuto un'influenza positiva sul numero delle manguste striate. I raccolti delle aree coltivate costituiscono una fonte di cibo extra.La mangusta striata è un animale diurno, ma nelle giornate afose è attiva solamente durante la mattina e la sera. È una specie gregaria che vaga in gruppi familiari di circa 30 animali. Quando un gruppo contiene più di 40 animali, si separa solitamente in due gruppi più piccoli di 15-20 individui. I membri di un gruppo possono riconoscere i loro compagni dal distintivo odore del gruppo.Il nucleo del gruppo consiste di un maschio dominante e di tre o quattro femmine dominanti. Solamente alle femmine dominanti viene permesso di riprodursi. La gerarchia tra i membri del gruppo è basata sull'età, sulle dimensioni e sull'autoaffermazione. Dopo un periodo di gestazione di due mesi, nascono quattro piccoli. Sono allattati da tutte le femmine che producono latte del gruppo. Gli animali adulti giocano spesso con i piccoli.La dieta della mangusta striata consiste soprattutto di invertebrati, come insetti (termiti e larve di coleotteri), centopiedi, lucertole, serpenti, rane e a volte topi. Dissotterrano la maggior parte del cibo con le loro robuste unghie. A volte mangiano anche radici e frutta. Il loro cibo preferito, comunque, è costituito dalle uova.Le manguste striate cercano il cibo in piccoli gruppi sciolti. Per rimanere in contatto usano una grande varietà di suoni.
Font : Wikipedia
Yesterday was a rainy, windy day in December, not fit for photographers or their cameras to be outdoors. So, I stayed home with my macro lens, shooting this conch shell we'd found on the beach. My wife, who is actually good at identifying shells and ocean life, looked at all the holes worn by salt water in constant motion, and jokingly dubbed them "termite holes."
So, today I share with you seven macros of our "termite conch."
On the road to Exmouth and Ningaloo Reef there are many of termite mounds. We stopped on the way out to catch the early morning sun over one of the mounds
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Termites play a prominent part in the recycling of plant nutrients through the disintegration and decomposition of dead wood and plant debris. Their excavations alter the structure of trees and provide spaces which have become a necessary part of the habitat of many vertebrate species including bats, birds, reptiles and arboreal mammals. Many species of termite feed on materials such as grass. Only a handful are of economic importance to timber-in-service.
Termites are social insects, working and living together in groups (colonies). Each colony contains several types (castes) which differ in body shape and behaviour, and each caste is specialised to perform different tasks. Three principal castes are recognised: workers, soldiers and reproductives (the primary king and queen and sometimes supplementary reproductives).
The worker caste dominates the colony numerically and is wingless, sterile and blind. The workers are aptly named because they build the nest and galleries, tend to the eggs and young, gather food, and feed other castes incapable of feeding themselves. Older workers may predominate in activities outside the nest. The primitive termite family (Mastotermitidae) lacks a worker caste. Instead, the tasks of workers are performed by a ‘worker-like caste’ (pseudergates), which may develop into other castes.
The soldier caste is the most distinctive and easiest from which to identify the species. The soldiers are distinguished from other castes by their heads which are heavily armoured and coloured. Like the workers they are wingless, sterile and blind. Because their mandibles are so modified or specialised, soldiers must be fed by the workers. The primary function of the soldiers is to defend the colony against predators such as ants.
The alate caste, the potential kings and queens of new colonies, possesses eyes, functional reproductive systems and wings. They usually swarm (leave the colony) in spring to early summer or late summer to early autumn, often through specially constructed exits. They normally swarm at dusk and may be attracted to lights at night. Alates do not fly strongly and, unless assisted by winds, their dispersal is limited.
Termites build various types of nest. Some termites have a completely underground existence, apparently without a central nest. Examples include some species of Amitermes. Others build a central nest in the soil, or in dead or living trees.
Cellulose, found in plants, is the basic food requirement of all termites and, in turn, all types of plant material can be damaged by termites. Most termite species eat grass and other surface vegetation and have an important role in maintaining soil fertility. They recycle nutrients, in particular nitrogen which is essential for healthy plant growth. When termite mounds erode, the soil particles rich in nutrients such as calcium, magnesium and potassium are washed into the soil from the mound to become available for plant growth. Termite galleries improve soil structure, and assist water entry and storage in soil; surface rainwater runoff and subsequent soil erosion are thereby reduced by the galleries.
The most important natural enemies of termites are predators of various kinds, especially ants. Winged reproductives emerging on their colonising flight are eaten in large numbers by lizards, snakes, frogs, insectivorous and omnivorous birds, ants and other predatory insects, especially dragonflies. Workers and soldiers of a wide range of species form an important part of the diet of the echidna, which has strong, long-clawed feet with which it damages mounds and subterranean galleries.
Nimmo, Snowy Mountains, New South Wales, Australia.