# Pacific Dampwood Termite (*Zootermopsis angusticollis*)

The Pacific Dampwood Termite is a small insect that helps break down wood and recycle nutrients in the forest. They live in damp, decaying wood and are important for keeping the environment healthy.

- **Category:** [Insects](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/insect)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Habitat:** Forests

![Pacific Dampwood Termite](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Pacific_Coast_Dampwood_Termite_-_Zootermopsis_angusticollis%252C_Delta%252C_British_Columbia.jpg&width=800)

Photo: Judy Gallagher, CC BY 2.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pacific_Coast_Dampwood_Termite_-_Zootermopsis_angusticollis%252C_Delta%252C_British_Columbia.jpg)

## Appearance

The Pacific Dampwood Termite is one of North America's largest termites, ranging from yellowish-brown to reddish-brown. Its body is robust, and soldiers have large, dark heads with strong mandibles. Winged reproductives are darker brown with prominent, clear wings.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Arthropoda
- **Class:** Insecta
- **Order:** Blattodea
- **Family:** Archotermopsidae
- **Genus:** Zootermopsis

## Interesting facts

- Termite queens can live for over a decade, laying thousands of eggs! Wow!
- Termites use their own droppings to seal up tunnels and fix their homes! Wow!
- They don't build nests in the soil, only inside damp wood! Wow!
- This termite is the largest dampwood species in North America! Wow!

## Special abilities

- **Wood Wrecker:** Pacific Dampwood Termite can digest tough wood because of special microbes in its gut that helps them break down cellulose.
- **Humidity Home Builder:** Pacific Dampwood Termite has a special ability to live only in very damp wood that helps them find and create their nests.
- **Mighty Mandibles:** Pacific Dampwood Termite soldiers have massive, dark mandibles that help them defend the colony from invaders like ants.

## Measurements & details

- **Wingspan:** 30-40 mm
- **Size:** 10-25 mm
- **Lifespan:** 365-1095 days
- **Flight Speed:** 0.5-2 km/h
- **Leg Count:** 6
- **Colony Size:** 500-5000

## Diet & Feeding

These termites eat decaying wood and plant fibers, thanks to tiny helpers in their gut!

- **Primary Foods:** decaying wood, wet timber, cellulose fibers, fungus-damaged wood
- **Foraging Method:** Foraging

## Ecological connections

- **Eats:** [Downy Woodpecker](https://www.snappit.app/explore/downy-woodpecker) (*Picoides pubescens*) — Drills into wood to find and eat termites.
- **Eats:** [Western Fence Lizard](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-fence-lizard) (*Sceloporus occidentalis*) — Preys on swarming termite alates during flights.
- **Symbiotic with:** Gut Protozoan (*Trichonympha campanula*) — Lives in the termite's gut, helping digest wood cellulose.

## Traits

- [Social](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/social): Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring.
- [Herbivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/herbivorous): This trait characterizes organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of plant material.
- [Decomposer](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/decomposer): Describes organisms that break down dead organic material, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem.
- [Forest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/forest): Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life.
- [Keystone Species](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/keystone-species): Describes a species whose presence and role have a disproportionately large effect on its environment.
- [Miniature](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/miniature): Pertaining to species that are significantly smaller than typical or average for their kind.

## Collections

- [Insects](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/insects)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Termites are not harmful to people, but it's best to leave them in their homes.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Pacific Dampwood Termite?

Look for six legs, antennae, three body sections and the shape of the wings. Beetles have hardened front wings; flies have just one working pair. Tiny insects may need a close view before their group is clear. Insect Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### What is Pacific Dampwood Termite's wingspan?

30-40 mm

### How big is Pacific Dampwood Termite?

10-25 mm

### How long does Pacific Dampwood Termite live?

365-1095 days

### How fast can Pacific Dampwood Termite fly?

0.5-2 km/h

### What does Pacific Dampwood Termite eat?

These termites eat decaying wood and plant fibers, thanks to tiny helpers in their gut!

### Where is Pacific Dampwood Termite usually found?

Forests

### How does Pacific Dampwood Termite hunt?

Foraging

## Where to spot

- [Gamble Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/gamble-park) — British Columbia, CA · Park

## More Insects

- [Common Eastern Bumble Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-eastern-bumble-bee) (*Bombus impatiens*)
- [Spotted Lanternfly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/spotted-lanternfly) (*Lycorma delicatula*)
- [Brown-belted Bumble Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/brown-belted-bumble-bee) (*Bombus griseocollis*)
- [Eastern Carpenter Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/eastern-carpenter-bee) (*Xylocopa virginica*)

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Source: [Pacific Dampwood Termite: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/pacific-dampwood-termite)