London's Fauna #1
Busby mites (minisculum militaris)
These endearingly tiny insects make their home in the warm, cosy environs of the Grenadier Guards' distinctive Busby hats. Far from being a pest, these little creatures are much loved by their soldier hosts and there is even a Royal Society dedicated to their protection.
Number of legs: Too many to count!
Appearance: A sort of silvery, microscopic centipede with a face a bit like an elk. An elk with compound eyes.
Habitat: Busby hats of the Grenadier Guards, The Vatican.
Diet: Bits of moth, peanuts (given to them as treats by the Grenadier Guards).
Social grouping: Busby mites live in a highly stratified society. The status of an individual mite increases with its proximity to the base of the Busby, where the heat of the host's head provides warmth. Busby mites defend these higher-status territories ferociously, locking antlers (actually stiffened antennae) to fight. These contests can be so violent that occasionally a Busby mite is thrown clear of the Busby and into a soldier's tea.
Reproduction: The mating ritual of the Busby mite is unusual: it depends on a symbiotic relationship with the Grenadier Guards and their famous marching music. To attract a mate, the male Busby mite hums along to the tune of the marching band. This tiny sound - only five or six nanodecibels loud and produced by a row of mouths along the male's thorax, is nonetheless audible to the female Busby mite's keen ears. She will try and choose a mate whose humming harmonises most closely with, say, 'Parade of the Wooden Soliders'. The height of the Busby mite mating season coincides with the Trooping of the Colour, after which the Grenadier Guards each clean about seven pints of congealing Busby mite gametes from the matted fur of their Busbies.
Relationship with man: Very good. As we've seen, the Busby mites depend on the music of the marching band in their mating rituals, and in turn the Grenadier Guards like to know that the little insects are up there in their hats so they don't get lonely when guarding the Crown Jewels in the dark.
Useful byproducts: Busby mite legs can be used as a substitute for velcro.
Threats: dry cleaning, republicanism.
These endearingly tiny insects make their home in the warm, cosy environs of the Grenadier Guards' distinctive Busby hats. Far from being a pest, these little creatures are much loved by their soldier hosts and there is even a Royal Society dedicated to their protection.Number of legs: Too many to count!
Appearance: A sort of silvery, microscopic centipede with a face a bit like an elk. An elk with compound eyes.
Habitat: Busby hats of the Grenadier Guards, The Vatican.
Diet: Bits of moth, peanuts (given to them as treats by the Grenadier Guards).
Social grouping: Busby mites live in a highly stratified society. The status of an individual mite increases with its proximity to the base of the Busby, where the heat of the host's head provides warmth. Busby mites defend these higher-status territories ferociously, locking antlers (actually stiffened antennae) to fight. These contests can be so violent that occasionally a Busby mite is thrown clear of the Busby and into a soldier's tea.
Reproduction: The mating ritual of the Busby mite is unusual: it depends on a symbiotic relationship with the Grenadier Guards and their famous marching music. To attract a mate, the male Busby mite hums along to the tune of the marching band. This tiny sound - only five or six nanodecibels loud and produced by a row of mouths along the male's thorax, is nonetheless audible to the female Busby mite's keen ears. She will try and choose a mate whose humming harmonises most closely with, say, 'Parade of the Wooden Soliders'. The height of the Busby mite mating season coincides with the Trooping of the Colour, after which the Grenadier Guards each clean about seven pints of congealing Busby mite gametes from the matted fur of their Busbies.
Relationship with man: Very good. As we've seen, the Busby mites depend on the music of the marching band in their mating rituals, and in turn the Grenadier Guards like to know that the little insects are up there in their hats so they don't get lonely when guarding the Crown Jewels in the dark.
Useful byproducts: Busby mite legs can be used as a substitute for velcro.
Threats: dry cleaning, republicanism.
Categories
fauna0 TrackBacks
Listed below are links to blogs that reference this entry: London's Fauna #1.
TrackBack URL for this entry: http://www.stupidlondon.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/30
Leave a comment