Termites cannot tolerate sunlight; some of them are even blind. However they are one of the world’s most ingenious builders: Termites. They build high-risers without any technical devices that are, compared to the Empire State Building in New York, 25 times higher. They are the only animals that have managed to build an air-conditioning system without electricity. Their nests are architectural masterpieces that rise up to eight meters from the ground and dispose brood chambers for larvae, corridors for transportation, fungal gardens for nutrition and even emergency exits for hostile attacks.

Termites are small insects that are usually less than a half-inch in length. These insects live in colonies with their own hierarchies. Termite colonies can vary in size, including just two termites — a king and queen — to a few hundred individuals. However, mature termite colonies can contain 60,000 to 1 million termites, depending on the type of termite colony.

2011 / 51 Minutes / Wolgang Thaler

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