Re:Intentional Fire-Spreading by “Firehawk” Raptors in North...
by raattgift on Friday January 05, 2018 @10:21AM
(#16079097)
There are some really interesting features in some of the constructs of mound-building termites (Macrotermes spp.) Air flow, thermal control, and water management have been the subjects of some research; it's clearly a fertile area for cross-discipline cooperation by human researchers.
Whatever one makes of the mental capacity of these individual eusocial animals (they're not too bright; you can lure them into termite windmills), collectively they substantially alter their local environment to their benefit.
There are whole valleys full of mounds rising a couple of metres above ground level in places where they are endemic:
That's a lot of biomass with a lot of total neurons, and even though aren't as tightly coupled as the ones in our skulls, they still manage to coordinate a lot of constructive activity. I think it's reasonable to wonder if culture and aesthetics emerge as termite numbers grow large.
Whatever one makes of the mental capacity of these individual eusocial animals (they're not too bright; you can lure them into termite windmills), collectively they substantially alter their local environment to their benefit.
There are whole valleys full of mounds rising a couple of metres above ground level in places where they are endemic:
https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/06/79/d5/55/...
https://www.experiencethewild.com.au/Images/CathMound-300-PM...
and here's a a whole mess of such mounds in a field:
https://photos.travelblog.org/Photos/87121/530935/f/5448597-...
That's a lot of biomass with a lot of total neurons, and even though aren't as tightly coupled as the ones in our skulls, they still manage to coordinate a lot of constructive activity. I think it's reasonable to wonder if culture and aesthetics emerge as termite numbers grow large.