American snouted termite (SciiFii)

The American snouted termite (Neotrinervitermes texum) is a species of termite that originally did not exist, but has since been created by SciiFii and introduced throughout the open woodlands, grasslands, shrublands, and scrublands across North America to help boost biodiversity. The American snouted termites inhabit grasslands and store grass in their nests or mounds, just below the ground surface. It forages with groups of 3-5 individual wide columns moving from the foraging holes some distance from the main mound and radiating out towards grasses. The species forages during the night and avoids foraging during the winter months of December–February. The foraging itself could last anywhere from 2 hours to 6.5 hours. It feeds as a harvester termite and forages almost always at night. The species forages on the surface completely exposed unlike most similar species of termite. The soldier caste has atrophied mandibles and a fontanelle squirt gun on the frons. This species is able to manage this by secreting a chemical containing a mixture of diterpenes and monoterpenes. This chemical defense can cause significant internal damage to predators and works to deter the large majority of predators. Diterpenes and monoterpenes are released to deter ants and smaller predators, but these are not effective against larger mammalian predators. One of their main predators are the American aardwolves, which are able to eat up to 300,000 termites a night while seeming unperturbed by this toxin. The conservation status of the American snouted termite is Least Concern due to successful conservation efforts, the American snouted termite's wide range and its tolerance to many of the human activities.
Category:Animals
Category:Species
Category:SciiFii