Northern Territory- Science stuff!

Ok- bit of science cool stuff. While “Doing the Triangle” you will see MASSIVE Termite mounds. Infact one of the main tourist Draws to Litchfield NAtional PArk- are Their ENORMOUS Mounds. Why are they here you ask….

The Australian subcontinent is missing a vital player that all of the other continents have when it comes to nutrient dispersal. They have large herds of grazing animals- think of grass lands, elephants, rhinos, buffalo, etc… eating grass, digesting it and then dropping it back into the environment in nice hot steaming piles of….

Any way- Australia doesn’t have this- so the termites had to take up the slack. They munch all that dead stuff and build their version of a cathedral or an urban housing project. These “projects” can get gigantic- well over 2 meters high at times. They are built in a manner that takes advantage of the sun in the morning and minimizes sun in the heat of the day. Amazing little critters aren’t they.

After the colony has lived out it’s usefulness- the termites move on and the other neighbors move in. Reptiles, other insects, etc then make their homes there and the elements eventually erode the digested nutrients back into the local soil. See- you do learn something new every day!