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Coneheads, egg stacks and anteater attacks: The reign of a termite queen - Barbara L. Thorne

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TEDEd Animation

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A single determined termite braves countless threats to participate in the only flight of her lifetime. She evades the onslaught of predators as she lands, flips off her wings, secretes pheromones, and attracts a mate. But she's not alone. Unlike most termite species, conehead termite colonies can have multiple queens and kings. Barbara L. Thorne details the reign and duties of termite royalty.

The best defenses that conehead termites have against anteaters are

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TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Barbara L. Thorne
  • Director Thomas Johnson Volda
  • Narrator Alexandra Panzer
  • Storyboard Artist Thomas Johnson Volda
  • Animator Thomas Johnson Volda, Ivana Bošnjak
  • Art Director Thomas Johnson Volda
  • Composer Cem Misirlioglu, Jared Samuel
  • Sound Designer Cem Misirlioglu
  • Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Director Alex Rosenthal
  • Producer Anna Bechtol
  • Associate Producer Abdallah Ewis
  • Editorial Producer Cella Wright
  • Script Editor Alex Gendler

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