These animals live underground in burrows and feed on roots, bulbs, seeds and grubs. They are very sociable and live in colonies. The ground squirrel is a very wary creature seldom straying far from its hole and scuttling for cover at the slightest sound. In parts of Tarangire Park you will see large sculptured earth mounds which are built by termites . Termites are sometimes called 'white ants', but are in fact related to cockroaches.
Termite mounds vary in shape and size depending on the soil types and local climatic conditions.
Termite colonies can number up to three million inhabitants. They are divided into castes of queen, king, soldiers and workers, each with a specific function to perform and all interdependent. The queen is the largest inhabitant and her huge abdomen may reach as long as 20 cms. The passages of the mound are too small for her to enter and she spends her life in a chamber laying eggs, as many as 10,000 per day, and being fed by the workers. The king is the only sexually active male.