To call for assistance when their nest is under attack, some termites use their heads.

Wolfgang Kirchner and Felix Hager of Ruhr University in Bochum, Germany, mimicked predator attacks on two species of African termites that grow fungi in long underground galleries connected to their nests. Specialized soldier termites responded by drumming their heads against the ground, which drew more soldiers to the alarm. Laboratory experiments confirmed that soldiers sense the low-frequency vibrations.

Vibrations from simulated drumming dissipated within 40 centimetres, but many galleries are much longer. To transmit alarm calls over greater distances, the termites pass signals on to others until the messages reach soldiers, the researchers suggest.

J. Exp. Biol. 216, 3249–3256 (2013)