Photo from open sources
In northeast Brazil, a team of scientists led by Stephen Martin (Salford University) discovered the largest on Earth termite maker, which is visible even from space. It is satellite shooting, according to the publishing house Current Biology, and allowed reveal this unique natural “city”.
This city of termite mounds can be called a city quite legally, as these are the numerous hills of the earth formed by building termite species of syntermes dirus of their underground nests (almost huge high-rise buildings, the “roofs” of which we observe in in the form of embankments).
A photo from open sources
By the way, these hills reach a height of 4 meters, and a diameter of up to 9 meters. The whole system of termite mounds found by Brazilian scientists, consists of about 200 million such “roofs” of termite mounds, capturing an area of 230 thousand square kilometers. And thrown away land to the surface equals a volume of 10 cubic kilometers, or 4 thousand pyramids of Cheops. It is the largest insect ecosystem on a planet that is still functioning, albeit partially.
By the way, termites are accused of creating mysterious witch circles, not just their unique ones multi-way nests and huge colonies. It is a long time there was such a theory that researchers deduced ideally round bald patches on grass found in Namibia, South Africa, Angola (see photo). According to experts, termites are trying this create optimal conditions for yourself their environment.
A photo from open sources
However, Australian scientists, having discovered “witch circles” on their mainland, came to the conclusion that they are created by nature itself, that it is a kind of self-organization within the framework of pattern theory (regular forms). And although this is also nothing more than a theory, but that’s interesting – the largest and oldest termite mound, which discovered today in Brazil, has not demonstrated a single witch circle. Maybe termites are really not here than?..
Pyramids
