Others go for a more direct approach. Termites, in the words of Greg Hurst, ‘go in for anal-licking, or proctodeal trophollaxis to give it its posh name’. Like koalas, they need microbes to digest their food – in this case, wood – and they get theirs by sucking fluid from their relatives. But, unlike koalas, termites lose the lining of their guts, and all the microbes within, every time they moult their outer shells. So they regularly need to lick their sisters’ backsides to replenish their supply. We might find these habits unsavoury, but we are unusual in our distaste. Many familiar animals,
...more
