280 days of Urbpandemonium #216

[urbpan]

Among the animals, termites pretty much have wood all to themselves. All that cellulose and lignin is just too difficult for most creatures to digest. Termites have symbiotic organisms in their guts that do the chemistry work for them. If you look closely you can see at least two different castes working their roles in this colony of eastern subterranean termites Reticulotermes flavipes*. Termites are the most primitive of the eusocial animals, having been chewing wood for up to 150 million years before ants or bees came along.

*Yellow-footed netted termite

Comments

[darkest-diary.livejournal.com]

Termites have been around that long? Wow!