Termite Towers

This deserves a blog all of its own. We came across two types of Termite Towers yesterday in Litchfield National Park. They are Magnetic and Cathedral  Mounds- so let me guide you to them.

The architects and builders are these tiny insects that measure about 4 to 15 mm. Admittedly there may be a fair few of them but collectively they work their little socks off and build these impressive Termite mounds by taking the soil from underneath them and mixing it with saliva and excreta. 

The story however doesn't end there. There are two types - one is Magnetic and one is Cathedral, so in short though the Termites might be cross at me reducing their life's work to a couple of sentences it works like this. 

These Termite Mounds may be up to 100 years old and are unique to this park and Northern Territory. The Magnetic Termites build these mounds with thin edges pointing north south and the broad backs pointing east west. They build them this way to minimise their exposure to the sun and to keep the mounds cool for the magnetic termite inside. 

This is perhaps the kindergarten version of one and the next photo is the graveyard look alike as they appear as grey headstones in a cemetery. 

The Cathedral Mounds are like budding buildings with sections added to the central core. This one is said to be about 50 years old and most of them are still living mounds as can be seen by the little termites going in and out of them. 

So this proves without a shadow of a doubt that you can be tiny and build towering edifices with some spit and shit which are more impressive than any Trump Tower. In fact 4mm tiny.