Termites digest wood with the help of tiny microbes living in their gut.

The longer version

Wood is difficult to digest because cellulose and lignin sit bound in tough fibres that animal enzymes alone handle poorly. These insects depend on a community of microbes living in the hindgut, where fermentation splits cellulose into compounds the body can absorb.

The arrangement resembles a shared stomach, but it must be maintained. Newly hatched individuals pick up their microbes from nestmates, since digesting their usual diet unaided would otherwise be impossible. Each moult sheds the gut lining, so the population has to be re-established, one reason close group living matters so much. Many workers also pass material directly to nestmates through feeding, keeping the community functioning.

Where this entry sits

This collection gathers small wonders from the world of ants, bees, butterflies, beetles, and spiders. Expect surprising details about swarms, silk, and metamorphosis, plus the strange everyday abilities of creatures small enough to fit on a fingertip. The full list sits on the Insects and Spiders page, where every entry is listed in order.