Science Source Stock Photo - Urutu at Termite Mound

Urutu at Termite Mound

Description: An Urutu, Bothrops alternatus, found near Jataí, Goiás, Brazil. This species of viper can approach two meters in length and frequents termite mounds, especially as juveniles. Photographed in Goiás, Brazil, 2014. Termite mounds, or termitaria, are a distinctive component of many xeric (i.e., arid) landscapes. The mounds have internal chambers which often times are not inhabited by the termites that built the mound. The mounds provide refuge as well as higher humidity and cooler temperatures than the surrounding environment for countless smaller organisms. Termitaria also add to the heterogeneity and complexity of the environment, thus also contributing to the region's biodiversity and carrying capacity, even for reptiles and amphibians . Certain reptiles and amphibians live in the mounds, breed within them, and feed on the termites and other invertebrates that inhabit them. Termite mounds in the Cerrado of Brazil house complicated assemblages of invertebrates, with as many as 14 termite species of termites in a single mound as well as ant colonies, scorpions, spiders, beetles and their larvae, opilionids, mites, and often dense populations of roaches.

Credit:

Danté Fenolio/Science Source

Unique identifier: SS2713211

Legacy Identifier: JC8134

Type: Image

Size: 3482px × 2200px (~21 MB)

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