Clay castle

There were red-tailed monkeys dancing in the trees above a friend's office recently. I admired their agility and was grateful to live in a place where such wonders exist.

Then a very different wonder formed before my eyes. A mysterious column emerged from the underbrush and wafted into the canopy like smoke from a chimney, starting narrow and billowing as it rose. But this wasn't smoke. It was termites.

My friend and I slipped into the forest and one of nature’s marvels unfolded before our eyes. A termite mound was alive with activity - winged termites emerged from dozens of holes, their wings compressing as they crawled into the light, each termite directly followed by another and lifting off without a moment for sentimentality. Their systematic, orderly movements were a little surprising – reminding me more of assembly line footage than spectacles I have witnessed in nature.

Then I became aware of something else: a rhythmic, pulsating patter which seemed to emanate from the mound. Was it the sound of their wings beating rhythmically inside?, I asked.

My friend corrected me: That is the soldier termites who are protecting the flying termites from the invading army ants, he explained. As I would learn, army ants are notorious for (among other things) raiding termite mounds, and soldier ants pound their head on the outside of the mound to inform troops inside that reinforcements are needed.

Sure enough, I saw a circle of soldier ants encompassing the base of the mound and seemingly protecting it from attack. Army ants crossed the path at my feet.

Holes into the mound will be sealed soon, my friend explained; termites would efficiently lock-down their castle for the night. Indeed, few winged termites surfaced. A clever defense was underway.

Complex social roles of ants were happening at my feet, inches from my nose and at the tip of my finger as I pointed at new discoveries. Twilight encroached quickly and we began to struggle to make sense of the scene before us; soon we stepped out of the forest, curious to know how the drama would conclude. Curious to know how it began.

Only a few termites fluttered in the air as we walked back past the office. Those who escaped successfully will have the chance to mate and begin a new colony. Others were no doubt consumed by swooping birds and maybe, just maybe, the monkeys dancing above.