#termites

[bug-lovers-island]

Bugs under the logs I keep specifically for bugs

[weevilsdaily]

why is my inbox crawling with termites

[rebeccathenaturalist]

This is THE coolest example of mimicry I think I've seen!

This newly-described beetle, Austrospirachtha carrijoi, has basically grown an entire termite disguise out of its abdomen. Native to Australia's Northern Territory, it lives its entire life in termite mounds. The termites can't see it, but they use touch to identify each other, and the termite-shaped growth is close enough to fool the real deal. They then feed the beetle just as they would their own kind. (This is a more placid strategy than the beetle's cousins, which infiltrate ant colonies and eat their larvae.)

Imagine how many generations it took for a random mutation in a beetle's abdomen to turn into this complex configuration. There's a very good chance the beetle can also mimic the scent of termites, adding to the ruse. And then consider this isn't likely to be the first time this sort of mimicry has evolved, given that social termites first appeared about 100 million years ago. Every time I think nature can't get any weirder and more wonderful, I read about something like this and my fascination with the world around me just amps up more.

Also, who says you can't make a living with cosplay?

[leather-field]

Drew all the Bound and discovered in the process that I am a massive hater of almost all patho 2 redesigns

[hawkpartys]

[unbfacts]

In dry grasslands and savannas, termite mounds can work like tiny natural water-and-food stations for plants. Termites build tunnels that help rainwater sink into the soil, and their mounds collect nutrients. So even when rainfall drops, plants near these mounds can often grow better than plants farther away.

[patheticmosasaur1]

today's invertebr-SUDDEN ROACH ATTACK!!!!!!!!

did you really think I was done with roaches??? wrong!!!!!!! get roach'd!!!!!!!!!

HAHAGAGAHHGAHAHAHAHAGSHAA