Photo by Rudolph Scheffrahn.
In the canopies of a South American rainforest, a tiny soldier termite has stunned a team of international scientists with its whale-like features.
Cryptotermes mobydicki, the name given to the termite by the international research team — led by a University of Florida scientist — boasts features of an elongated head and hidden mandibles. It resembles the iconic sperm whale from Herman Melville’s classic novel — hence its name.
“This termite is unlike anything we’ve ever seen,” said Rudolf Scheffrahn, professor of entomology at the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS).
Read more about New Moby Dick-Like Termite Species Discovered.
