Imagine for a moment that you’re an animal with a varied diet, who on occasion doesn’t mind partaking in a tasty termite. Now think about what you would do if one night, suddenly, thousands upon thousands of termites appeared out of nowhere. Naturally, you’d eat as many termites as you possibly could, and if you were smart enough, you’d kill a few extra and store them for later.

This is why so few termites survive long enough to establish a successful new colony. The nuptial flight of the termite provides an absolute smorgasbord for other animals!

For instance, this adorable Long-Haired Rat is usually pretty well-hidden and camera-shy, but even he had decided that the payoff was worth the risk on nuptial flight night. He completely ignored me as I took photos of him gorging himself on the abundance of termites. The same went for a myriad of other predators – from geckos and frogs to cane toads and birds.

Read more about the nuptial flight of the termite here!

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Long-Haired Rat (Rattus villosissimus) gorging himself on termites, Berry Springs, Australia