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The researchers discovered a gigantic complex of 200 million termite mounds in northeastern Brazil, which could be up to 4,000 years old and cover an area the size of Britain.
Although visible on Google Earth, cone mounds, some of which reach heights of 10 feet, are largely hidden from the ground in semi-arid and thorny forests, according to a study published this month in Current Biology.
"These mounds were formed by a single species of termite that dug a huge network of tunnels to allow them to access dead leaves to eat safely and directly from the forest floor," said in a statement. a statement researcher and entomologist Stephen Martin of the British University of Salford.
"The amount of excavated soil equals … the equivalent of 4,000 large pyramids of Giza and represents one of the largest structures built by a single species of insect."
The mounds, many of which are still under construction, have attracted the attention of scientists when some of the land has been cleared for grazing in recent decades.
Soil samples taken from mound and dated centers indicated that mounds were created between 690 and 3820 years ago. According to a press release published by Cell Press, this makes them as old as the oldest known termites in Africa.
Mounds are not nests, but rather the result of a slow and steady search of a network of interconnected underground tunnels, resulting in a buildup of waste in cones on the surface.
The extensive network of tunnels apparently provides safe access to a sporadic food source, similar to the naked mole rats, which also live in arid regions and build very large burrows for food, the researchers said.
"It's amazing that right now you can find an" unknown "biological wonder of this size and age, with occupants always present," said Martin.
The researchers said that there remained many unanswered questions about termite colonies, including the exact physical structure of the nests. No queen room for the species has ever been found.
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