Nests of the African genus of termites Apicotermes lamani are constructions made out of clay (IMAGE)

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Nests of the African genus of termites Apicotermes lamani are constructions made out of clay

Caption

Nests of the African genus of termites Apicotermes lamani are constructions made out of clay with a shape resembling pottery designed and made by skilled craftsmen. Except that these nests are one of the most complex structures ever built in the animal kingdom by a group of animals without a plan or planner and arise via the self-organized building actions of thousands of tiny blind creatures.

Credit

Image credit: Guy Theraulaz/CNRS, CRCA, CBI, Toulouse.

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