Carolinas
View allAll Photos Tagged termites
Tsessebe belong to the same family as Wildebeest and Hartebeest, all of whom are characterised by an ungainly appearance because their shoulders are higher than the withers. In Southern Africa the tsessebe are confined to northern savannah woodlands.
Territorial males rub the sides of their faces on the ground, usually on a termite mound or on a sandy patch, dropping to their knees to do so. I saw this fine specimen in the south west of the Okavango Delta in Botswana.
The headland, at the most northern tip of Pittwater, is made up primarily of sandstones of the Newport Formation, the top third is a cap of Hawkesbury sandstone. Around 10,000 years ago the headland was cut off from the mainland due to the rising sea level; subsequent buildup of a sand spit or tombolo reconnected the island to the mainland (a 'tied island'). The 1 km climb to the top of Barrenjoey Headland from the car park at Gov. Phillip Park, Palm Beach, is quite steep, but well worth the effort. The views north across Broken Bay to the central coast, west along the Hawkesbury River and south to Pittwater and Sydney Northern Beaches are spectacular. 17056
Giant cathedral termite mounds in the Litchfield National Park, Australia. Sometimes called Spinifex Termites (Nasutitermes triodiae)
All rights reserved. Written permission required for usage.
Please do not use this photo on any websites or for personal use.
Thank you.
©2016 Fantommst
Giant cathedral termite mounds in the Litchfield National Park, Australia. Sometimes called Spinifex Termites (Nasutitermes triodiae)
All rights reserved. Written permission required for usage.
Please do not use this photo on any websites or for personal use.
Thank you.
©2016 Fantommst
Southern giraffe (Giraffa giraffa), aka two-horned giraffe,] is a species of giraffe native to Southern Africa. It is one of the four species of giraffe recognized by the International union for the Conservaton of Nature (IUCN).
Okavanga Delta, Botswana.
Conservation status: vulnerable
Thank you for your views and comments. They are all greatly appreciated.
Look at this cute little termite. It looks like it is made of wax and lit from within. This is the first time that I have been able to get a photo of one with wings.
Giant cathedral termite mounds in the Litchfield National Park, Australia. Sometimes called Spinifex Termites (Nasutitermes triodiae)
All rights reserved. Written permission required for usage.
Please do not use this photo on any websites or for personal use.
Thank you.
©2016 Fantommst
Photographed the Termite Mound artificial structure at the Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park located on Discovery Island in Bay Lake in Orange County Florida U.S.A
Mound-building termites are a group of termite species that live in mounds which are made of a combination of soil, termite saliva and dung. These termites live in Africa, Australia and South America. The mounds sometimes have a diameter of 30 metres. Most of the mounds are in well-drained areas.
Source: Wikipedia
©Copyright Notice
This photograph and all those within my photostream are protected by copyright. The photos may not be reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without my written permission.
Many thanks for your visits, faves and comments. Cheers.
Sacred Kingfisher
Scientific Name: Todiramphus sanctus
Description: The Sacred Kingfisher is a medium sized kingfisher. It has a turquoise back, turquoise blue rump and tail, buff-white underparts and a broad cream collar. There is a broad black eye stripe extending from bill to nape of neck. Both sexes are similar, although the female is generally lighter with duller upper parts. Young birds are similar to the female, but have varying amounts of rusty-brown edging to feathers on the collar and underparts, and buff edges on the wing coverts.
Distribution: The Sacred Kingfisher is common and familiar throughout the coastal regions of mainland Australia and less common throughout Tasmania. The species is also found on islands from Australasia to Indonesia and New Zealand.
Habitat: The Sacred Kingfisher inhabits woodlands, mangroves and paperbark forests, tall open eucalypt forest and melaleuca forest.
Seasonal movements: In Australia, Sacred Kingfishers spend the winter in the north of their range and return south in the spring to breed.
Feeding: Sacred Kingfishers forage mainly on the land, only occasionally capturing prey in the water. They feed on crustaceans, reptiles, insects and their larvae and, infrequently, fish. The birds perch on low exposed branch on the lookout for prey. Once prey is located, the Sacred Kingfisher swoops down and grasps it in its bill, returning to the perch to eat it.
Breeding: For most of the year Sacred Kingfishers are mainly solitary, pairing only for the breeding season. Usually two clutches are laid in a season. Both sexes excavate the nest, which is normally a burrow in a termite mound, hollow branch or river bank. The nest chamber is unlined and can be up to 20m above the ground. Both sexes also incubate the eggs and care for the young.
Calls: The voice of the Sacred Kingfisher is a loud "ek ek ek ek" repeated continuously throughout breeding season. Birds also give a "kee kee kee" in excitement and a series of chirring, scolding notes when alarmed.
Minimum Size: 19cm
Maximum Size: 24cm
Average size: 21cm
Average weight: 45g
Breeding season: September to December; occasionally extended to March, if conditions are favourable.
Clutch Size: 3 to 6
Incubation: 18 days
Nestling Period: 26 days
(Sources: www.birdsinbackyards.net and "The Slater Field Guide to Australian Birds - Second Edition")
__________________________________________
© Chris Burns 2025
All rights reserved.
This image may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopying and recording without my written consent.
We've had some hot weather lately and that always brings out the termites. This particular morning they were gathering in the millions (and then some) in the gently swirling eddies below the clifftops. Would they show up in a photo? Only one way to find out. This is only a minute part of the whole. The numbers are beyond imagining.
Termite Mound by Irene Becker © All rights reserved
Kwarau, Kaduna State, Nigeria.
Sep 13, 2021 Explore #287
Old build done for Hibernia. Meant to be a terraforming/mining vehicle utilised in rugged environments.
The lights on this termite mound in Emas National Park, Brazil, are from tiny click beetle larvae (Pyrearinus termitilluminans), which glow from burrows on the outside. The larvae do not blink on and off like fireflies, but leave their lights on, hoping to attract flying insects (like winged termites & ants), which they then grab with their sharp mandibles. When conditions are right, some mounds can glow with the lights of dozens of these larvae, turning the structures into Seussian-looking Christmas trees. The adult beetles also bioluminesce - and are not necessarily safe from predation by the larvae.
These termite mounds are only a few minutes from my Dundee Beach block in the Northern Territory of Australia. I captured this image using the focus stacking app on my Nikon D850, it consists of 17 images that I rendered using Helicon Focus 7 software.
Termites in rotten wood of a tree hole
Bicentennial Park, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, 2017
Mechtober week 4!
Right on time... poor guy is a structural disaster and doesn't photograph well; so I piled on some bricks and called it a day. But it's done, I can stop looking at pictures of construction equipment when I lie in bed at night. Only 9 months till I botch next years mechtober!
Images of Australia: 57/100
The Magnetic Termite Mounds are unique and found exclusively in northern Australia. The mounds have a precise north-south orientation, with thin edges pointing north-south and broad backs facing east-west.
This alignment is a sophisticated temperature control mechanism that helps maintain optimal conditions for the termite colonies inside.
The termites construct these mounds using a mixture of saliva, sand, and droppings, The mounds can survive for 50 to 100 years and are complete with arches, tunnels, chimneys, insulation, and nursery chambers, that can all withstand decades of the harsh climate while maintaining perfect internal climate control.
One of Litchfield National Park's most impressive sights is the hundreds of termite mounds standing up to two metres high in a wide swathe of empty ground. Up to 100 years old, these structures are unique to the northern parts of Australia and Litchfield National Park, 120 kilometres south of Darwin.
Magnetism or magnets have nothing to do with it. This arrangement is nature’s answer to the problem of termite air conditioning. By aligning themselves with the journey of the sun, these termites ensure that the temperature stays even over the course of the ferociously hot day and subsequent cold night.
Best viewed large.
Explore #107