Hurst: Hi there Carol, I have a story for you that you ter-might find interesting!
Carol: Is it about ants?
Hurst:…Termites, Carol. A new study found that termite populations play a key role in the survival of tropical forests during droughts.
Carol: That seems to go against what I know about termites. How does that work?
Hurst: Research shows that termite activity increases in times of drought. As they eat their way through the soil they keep it moist. This moisture allows for a higher rate of survival of plant seedlings!
Carol: Wow, I never would have guessed that termites actually make a forest healthier. See you next week!
Termites help to protect tropical forests during drought, study finds from Mongabay
Finch’s Bite Is 320 Times More Powerful Than T. Rex’s from Live Science
Where Does Your State Rank On New List Of Animal Protection Laws In The U.S.? from World Animal News
Wild insects ‘get old’ before they die from Science Daily
Moonlight influences opening and closing of oysters’ shells from The Guardian
Sorry, bunny-lovers: snowshoe hares eat meat — including other hares from CBC News
George, Reclusive Hawaiian Snail And Last Of His Kind, Dies At 14 from NPR
World’s Oceans Are Warming Faster, Studies Show, Fueling Storms and Sea Rise from Inside Climate News
What’s a ‘Daniel Fast’? Chris Pratt reveals his 21-day diet of prayer and fasting from Today
Heads up, foie gras gourmands, the pate party is over — as it should be from LA Times
Everyone wants a bite of the plant-based market from The Good Food Institute
See the lives of street cats around the world from Nat Geo
Go underwater into the overlooked world of freshwater animals from Nat Geo
Photo credit: David Sischo/Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources
Creature Feature 