Although we can’t always perceive them, vibrations provide a critical way of communicating for many animal species. Scientists think vibrational communication is an ancient sensory mode—one that is still widely used throughout the animal kingdom. Animals from tiny insects to jumbo-size elephants talk to each other using vibrations for many different purposes, from mating and…
By Rachel Kaufman As long as they’re in someone else’s house, termites are rather fascinating creatures. The social insects live in colonies, like bees or ants, and build large nests that can stretch 300 feet (91 meters) across. There are more than 2,600 species of termites—and more than one quadrillion individual termites—on Earth. Their ability…
By Rachel Kaufman As long as they’re in someone else’s house, termites are rather fascinating creatures. The social insects live in colonies, like bees or ants, and build large nests that can stretch 300 feet (91 meters) across. There are more than 2,600 species of termites—and more than one quadrillion individual termites—on Earth. Their ability…
A few months ago we brought you the latest explanation of Africa’s mysterious “fairy circles”—circular patterns in the earth that appear across the grasslands of southern Africa and which have intrigued and baffled scientists, earning their rather ethereal name. The newest findings at the time suggested the fantastical formations were the result of termites eating…