This entry about termites called “Termitaphysics?” first appeared in a Dispatch, the updates sent to all Society members. You can join for free here.

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Metaphysics – The study of the fundamental nature of reality

Termites – Small insects that live in large mounds

Termitaphysics – How small insects make us question the fundamental nature of reality*

*name we created

Before we begin with the termites, we have to begin with you. And by you, we mean you specifically.

What are you?

Human, I know. But, in a deeper context, what are you?

Are you a skeleton wearing a meat suit? Are you a brain and a consciousness, driving a big mechanical apparatus made of bone, flesh and goo? Or, considering your gut has five times as many neurons than your brain, are you actually just a vehicle for your various gut dwelling bacteria, controlling you with the chemicals and hormones they release?

Didn’t expect this to get so deep so quickly? And what on earth, you might be wondering, does this have to do with termites?

Let’s start at the beginning.

Aren’t termites just ants that eat your house?

First of all, ants and termites are actually different animals. Termites, in fact, are more closely related to cockroaches, a fact that also doesn’t help them in popularity. Secondly, aside from being incredibly important to the natural world, termites may actually rank as one of the most fascinating animals in Africa. Yep, even more than the big roaring, clawing ones.

You are unlikely to see a termite just walking around the African bush whilst on your game drives in the Masai Mara. That being said, you will see their homes dotted across the lands. These massive termite mounds can reach 9m in height and up to 30m in diameter. And, much in the same way an iceberg has most of its mass below the surface, these mounds also extend deep into the ground. These gigantic structures act as a base of operations for the termite colony and are home to the three types of termites: the ‘workers’, ‘soldiers’ and ‘reproducers’.

The ‘workers’ are responsible for finding food and water as well as building and cleaning the termite mound. They also have to feed and groom the other types of termites. Basically, all of the important stuff. The ‘soldiers’ are physically much bigger with oversized jaws that they use to defend the colony. They operate as the mound’s defence system and when the mound is attacked they hunt down the intruder and grab them. They then release a sticky substance that acts as a kind of glue, literally sticking the attacker to the spot to be annihilated. The ‘reproducers’ are the king and queen who do all the breeding for the colony, fertilising over 30,000 eggs a day for up to 30 years. Tiring work. Within the mound, everyone has their place and their role, but no single type of termite is in control.

The termite mound itself is also a fascinating construction. It’s estimated that on our planet there are just under 500 kilograms of termites per every human on earth. They are dotted across regions ranging from the Sabi Sands to the Serengeti. In a single mound, there can be well over a million termites living in there at any one time. With that amount of termites living in one confined space the body heat they produce (as well as the sun’s heat externally) could easily cook them all alive. Also, just like us, they respirate oxygen in and carbon dioxide out. That carbon dioxide buildup could suffocate all of them quite quickly in an enclosed space.

Because of this, the termite mound is constructed in such a way that the sun hitting the mound changes the air currents both in and around the mound, pushing air through various chambers to cool it down and flush out the carbon dioxide. By workers also closing off and opening up other vents the airflow can be changed at a whim. At night, the airflow is changed again to modulate the temperature and keep it warm. Rather than a giant termite hotel, the mound also acts as a large respiratory system, puffing and breathing as needed.

Apart from staying alive and comfortable, the temperature internally is also incredibly important because ultimately termites, like us, are farmers. We all know that termites eat wood, but it’s not quite that simple. The wood and plant matter that they collect when out foraging is too tough for them to digest themselves so they simply swallow it, carry it home and then excrete it out onto a specially farmed fungi. That fungi then break down the plant matter into a more digestible form. That is then taken by the workers and fed to the soldiers and reproducers who can’t feed themselves. The fungi only grow and survive at particular temperatures so the termites constantly monitor it, feed it and adjust as necessary. Just a reminder, all of this is happening without a central brain giving commands.

Even ignoring the animal species that feed on termites, the mound itself plays a fundamentally important role in the larger ecosystem. Incredibly strong, termite mounds can not only last for decades but for centuries. When the colony eventually dies or relocates, that mound is then used by numerous other animals in an endless procession. Snakes, mongoose, aardvarks, hyenas, wild dogs and warthogs all live and house their young in old termite mounds. It’s a home that is constantly in use for many generations, of many different species. In addition, elephants like to use them to sleep on, as the raised ground makes a comfortable bed for a big body. Seeking out these mounds creates compacted elephant trails lower than the surrounding earth which, in places like the Okavango Delta, will link up with waterways to create new channels.

So, let’s recap: The termite mound acts as a giant lung, regulating the flow and chemical make up of the mound. The fungi inside acts as a stomach, digesting the food down to more digestible chemicals. Termites shuttle nutrients around to other termites, ensuring all areas are fed and also that the mound itself ‘healed’ as needed. If something should make it inside, invaders are neutralised by an internal protective system.

That should sound familiar. And that’s because, essentially, the termite mound acts as a human body does. It brings food in, digests it and sends it around to all the various cells to keep the body alive and strong. These cells reproduce to fix, supply, amend and protect. The temperature is regulated to maintain a good operating level. Meanwhile, air is sucked in and out as needed to keep the body alive.

It all makes you wonder. If the termite is the animal and the mound just the home, then what are humans? Are humans just a kind of mobile termite mound?